Day services – Mike’s story

The benefits of Day Services at Dorothy House

At the Hospice, we offer a range of Day Services that our patients and their families can access. These services include a variety of therapies, day care services and spiritual support. Patients can meet with other patients and share experiences and our team are on hand to answer any questions – from symptom management to practical advice, we’re more than happy to help.

Creative Therapies

One of the most popular Day Services is Creative Therapies. In a palliative care setting, art is a powerful and effective way to address the issues that patients and families can face on their journey – these issues can be psychological, social, practical or spiritual.

In a session led by our Creative Arts Team, patients and families can make use of various techniques such as painting and ceramics to create beautiful pieces of artwork they can treasure. Whether it’s finding satisfaction in the creative process or admiring the end product, these sessions provide patients with a focus and diversion during a difficult time. Our creative arts service is accessible to everyone, and you don’t have to think of yourself as artistic to join in!

Last year, we met Mike and his wife, Ede, who were first introduced to Dorothy House via our Coffee Club. Mike has mesothelioma and at first, wasn’t registered with us, but he was later referred to us by his doctor. He’s now a regular at our Day Hospice, and we recently chatted to him during one of our creative arts sessions.

When asked about our care he told us, “They’re brilliant – I meet the nurse and we have a chat; she asks how things are. When I first came, I didn’t know a soul, but it’s so friendly. Everyone chats to you.” Ede, his wife, added, “You can ask anything you want when you’re here – even if you think it's a silly question. We feel lifted when we go home.”

As well as enjoying our creative arts sessions, Mike has also enjoyed the social aspect, “It’s silly things – one afternoon, the sun was shining so we all walked around the garden and took a photo of the gang. We really enjoyed it.”

Day Services are just one of the ways that we support patients, families and carers, and we know the difference that Dorothy House can make to help people living with a life-limiting illness, giving them the best quality of life. Many people say ‘I’m not ready for a hospice’ or ‘it’s too soon,’ but if we are involved as early as possible, we can make all the difference. If we aren’t the right people to support you, we will work in partnership with different organisations who can.