When there are only days left, it’s the little things that count

In a hospice, comfort at the end of life is incredibly important. For our 2022 Spring Appeal, we asked you to help us fund new specialist mattresses for our Inpatient Unit (IPU). 

Hospice Care – home from home

Wherever our patients choose to be at the end of their lives, we are dedicated to ensuring we provide them with the unique care that matters to them. So, if Inpatient Unit hospice care is what they need, their comfort and a homely, patient-centred feel is very important to us.

Dorothy House Mattresses

Our Dynamic mattresses are designed to tilt patients gently when they’re sleeping, helping to reduce the risk of pressure sores, while the Air-Flow mattresses help to relieve pain by providing support and pressure relief. However, there was one more addition we wanted to raise money for – the flexi bed.

Flexi-beds

These innovative beds do everything that a normal hospice bed does, but they also do something extra special. At the touch of a button, they widen into a double bed, allowing family members, spouses or partners to be close to their loved ones. The power of touch is incredibly important, particularly when someone is nearing the end of their life, helping to reduce stress, relieve pain and help reinforce a family’s bond.

How your donations help families at the end of life

It was through fundraising efforts that we were able to fund ten of these beds with Dynamic mattresses. Recently, we saw first-hand just how much of an impact these beds make to patients and to their loved ones.

A patient was recently admitted to the IPU for a few days for end of life care and was supported by his family. The Healthcare Assistant caring for him noticed that his wife was leaning over the bed and trying to get as near to her husband as possible, so she asked: “would you like me to extend the bed so you can be close?”

Within just a few minutes, the patient’s bed had been extended and his wife was lying beside him, allowing them to hold each other, right up until the very end. It was a truly special moment. Following the patient’s death, his wife told our team:

 “It made it so special to be so close to him. I’m so pleased my husband was here at Dorothy House.”

It’s moments like this that demonstrate just how much of a difference these beds can make, not only to patients approaching the end of their lives, but also for their loved ones. Small things like having the right bed can play a vital role in enabling a good death alongside bringing comfort to spouses, partners and family members in the last moments of their lives together.

Help us offer more families their last chance for a cuddle – Donate here.