Bill's darker days made brighter by St Catherine's Hospice

Bill attended the Wellbeing Centre, which is open to visit today (10am-3pm) as part of Hospice Care Week, over a 5 week period. Whilst there he had access to our nurses, physiotherapists, complementary therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and education sessions.

Bill has prostate cancer which has spread into his bones. After 6 months of treatment John was struggling with pains in his neck and shoulders.

Bill said: ‘‘Jen, the physiotherapist, showed me simple things that have made a huge difference in managing the pain. Simple things like turning my head and shoulders in a specific way for aches and pains. My hormone therapy makes me very hot, so Jen gave me a fan to keep me cool. It is just the little things. The pain will never go away but I can now manage.’’

‘‘I have spent time with John, social worker, who has helped me a great deal with how I look at situations. He has helped me not to think about things that I don’t need to be thinking about. I always tend to lock things away but Saint Catherine’s services have helped me to unlock that mentality and get me to talk about my symptoms and understand what is happening to me.’’

‘‘The education sessions are great. They help you to understand the problems that you have. I now understand why I suffer with breathlessness and how to partly resolve it. There was a session on fatigue and I now have a better understanding of why I am feeling so tired at times.’’

‘‘Everybody at Saint Catherine’s, the staff and volunteers, are so positive. Accessing the services have made a huge difference to my general wellbeing. Of course, I still have days where I don’t feel fantastic but a lot of days where I feel really good.’’

‘‘My experience with Saint Catherine’s is that everybody you speak to understands what you are going through. You don’t feel like you’ve only got your 10 minutes then you will be rushed off.’’

‘‘Lots of people are nervous to access the hospice services. Saint Catherine’s isn’t what you think it is. Give it a go- you will be surprised at how much they can help you. Don’t be scared by the word ‘hospice’, it’s not a one way ticket, it’s a great service.’’

‘‘Anyone who is offered the opportunity to attend Saint Catherine’s Wellbeing Centre should grab the opportunity. I would recommend it to anybody.’’

‘‘I have left the Wellbeing Centre thinking I can manage now, I know where to go if I have a problem. It has made those darker days much lighter. Saint Catherine’s is like being in a room of friends, you feel at ease.’’