Your Hospice, Your Stories - 5
"We cannot fault the hospice staff in doing all
they could to make Mum feel as comfortable
as possible," said Scott Billison, whose mum,
Sally Billison, received support from our team
until her death, from motor neurone disease
(MND), aged 57-years-old, in May 2023.
"Initially, Mum attended the hospice's
Community Care Unit once a week, before
she moved to the Inpatient Unit in late April.
"Mum loved the atmosphere in the Community
Care Unit. It provided respite and a change of
scenery from home and a chance for us, as a
family, to recharge our batteries.
"All the staff were attentive and helped
us understand Mum's condition and they
provided great guidance and reassurance.
"When at the hospice, the staff were able
to move Mum to a larger room which was
better suited to her condition. They were so
caring and proactive in helping Mum to feel
comfortable, and they went the extra mile to
provide support to her as a person.
"She loved animals and, following a discussion
between myself and the hospice team, we
came up with an idea for organising for animals
to visit Mum at the hospice.
"The hospice team looked into this and were
able to organise a visit from two 'mini-donks'
- Pixie and Millie - from Miniature Donkeys
for Wellbeing, as well as two guinea pigs, to see
Mum in the hospice garden.
"It was a lovely day which made a real
difference to Mum. It was made even more
special as the staff managed to keep the
visit secret from Mum until the moment the
animals arrived. It was such a lovely surprise
for her - she even managed to name one of
the guinea pigs Hazel!"
Scott Billison - A Son's Story
Sally Billison visited by 'mini-donks'.
Sally Billison visited by 'mini-donks'.
"We cannot fault the
hospice staff in doing all
they could to make Mum
feel as comfortable
as possible."
£664 could fund
a 24-hour stay
for a patient at
the Inpatient
Unit, giving them
access to specialist
palliative care.
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