St Barnabas House in Worthing is one of the many hospices that has joined forces with Hospice UK to support nationwide awareness and fundraising campaign Open Up Hospice Care. Here Tania House shares the benefits of being care for by the hospice.
Together with hospices across the country, St Barnabas House has been taking to social media throughout the campaign to Open Up about the extraordinary range of care the hospice delivers beyond its In-patient Unit, including in people’s homes and out in the community.
The campaign aims to address some of the common misconceptions and fears that many people have about hospice care, raising awareness that hospice care is so much more than a building where you go to die. In fact, most hospice care happens in the community and in people’s homes.
Tania, 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2017. She was referred to St Barnabas House in December 2017 after finding out that the cancer had spread to her spine and an operation to remove a tumour would be too dangerous.
Since then she has benefitted from a range of palliative care services provided by St Barnabas House including home visits by the Community Palliative Care Team, physiotherapy, acupuncture and a range of complementary therapies. She currently attends the Day Hospice on Thursdays.
She said:
“I’ve found that a lot of people I know think that a hospice is just for elderly people in the last few days of their life. At the Day Hospice, it couldn’t be more different. There’s people of all ages from all walks of life. There’s something different going on each week including live music, art projects, free haircuts and delicious meals. Recently we all went on a trip to an exhibition at Worthing Museum with the Artist-in-Residence which was brilliant.
“I’ve made some really lovely friends since attending the Day Hospice. We have a great laugh together and I find it helps me to talk openly with other people who also have cancer. I always try to stay positive though. I don’t go to the hospice to think about death, I go there to be looked after and to give a bit of love to people myself.
“When you’ve got cancer, you can control the pain with painkillers, but it doesn’t always work. Therapeutic treatments help me an awful lot and I feel that without them I probably would have given up a long time ago. Indian head massage and reflexology are my favourite. I feel a million dollars when I come out of a session with the hospice’s Complementary Therapist. For someone with cancer that means an awful lot.
“Whether I’m having a good day or a not so good day, St Barnabas House has given me a part of my life back where I feel I can be me. Just because I’m going to a hospice, it doesn’t mean I’m going there to die. I’m not ready yet.”
For more information visit St Barnabas House
Open Up Hospice Care runs till the end of March.
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