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Hospice patients and their carers enjoy Candlelit Supper
04 April 2011
A course organised by the Family Support Service came to a celebratory finish this week, at a Candlelit Supper held at the hospice. Hospice patients and their carers joined together following the eight-week carer’s course, called Better Together.
The course, funded by the Department of Health Innovations Grant, was held for two hours each week. Speakers included nurses, complementary therapists, physiotherapists, and the CAB Macmillian Project, who gave advice on benefits. After the talk, there was time for mutual peer support, which was facilitated by social workers at the hospice.
Kym Burnett, who cares for her husband Cliff who has motor neurone disease, attended the course.
She said: “I gained an awful lot from the course. There was a lot of understanding; we’ve al
l got the same core problem so that you felt like you didn’t have to explain yourself. Also, for me personally, because I’ve never worked in this area, with Cliff being ill it’s not like we’ve gone out to pubs or met people so I don’t have a circle of friends. Therefore it was actually about making new friends for me as well.”
Kym has taken the numbers of a few of the carers she met, and hopes to organise a lunch every six weeks, giving them the chance to get together.
Sandy Lawless, a social worker at the hospice facilitated the course.
She said: “The real benefit for the carers who attend the course, is discovering they are not alone. They learn from each other and get tips. It’s a real privilege working with them because we get an awful lot from them – we get to know them, we get an insight and as a result, a greater understanding.
The course finished with the Candlelit Supper on Wednesday 20th March. Guests were treated to a delicious three-course meal, and entertained by duo Pat and Betty from Shenfield.
Sandy said: “The Candlelit Supper was a way of closing the course, but also to recognise the work that carers do, and paying tribute to it. It also gives them the ability to have a nice night out with the person that they care for.”
Kym agreed that the dinner was a great opportunity to get out and have some fun.
“It gave us a reason to get dressed up and go out,” she said. “Cliff had his suit on, and I put a daffodil in his pocket. Cliff thoroughly enjoyed the night out - it was nice for him to meet the people that I’d met, and nice for them to meet him. We both had a lovely evening.”
To find out more about the Family Support Service,click here.
