Vote for Pilgrims Hospices to be Sainsbury’s Local Charity of the Year
We’ve had some very exciting news here at our Canterbury Hospice. We have been shortlisted by two of our local Sainsbury’s stores to be their Local Charity of the Year partner for 2017 / 18!
Both main Sainsbury’s stores in Faversham and Whitstable have shortlisted us:
Type the store you want to vote for us at (‘Faversham’ or ‘Whitstable’) into the search bar
Select your chosen store
Click ‘Vote’ under the store name and then click ‘Submit’.
Please vote for us for Faversham, Bysing Wood Road and Whitstable, Reeves Way. You can vote for Pilgrims for both stores – so please do!
The charity with the most votes by the closing date of 25 June 2017 will become the store’s Local Charity of the Year.
This partnership would give us great opportunities including fundraising in-store, raising awareness in the local community, the chance to recruit new volunteers and raise the profile of Pilgrims, and opportunities to publicise all that’s happening at Pilgrims.
It takes just two minutes to vote, so please vote for us now and ask all of your friends and family to do the same. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a great result for Pilgrims!
I’m from South Africa and my first experience of hospice care was when an aunt of mine received care. It was so important to her that she could be looked after with her family around her and the hospice gave her that. Plus plenty of kindness, caring: with soft hands and soft voices. That experience inspired me to get involved myself.
My aunt received kindness, caring: with soft hands and soft voices. That inspired me to get involved.
I was surprised at how similar the set up for hospice care is in the UK to South Africa when I moved here. The teams have the same way of seeing people and taking care of them as individuals and that’s lovely.
Lottery supporters become friends
We try to extend that approach as Lottery collectors. I have been doing the Chartham round for Pilgrims Hospices Lottery for a while now, collecting people’s weekly membership payments from them every five weeks.
It’s good for people who aren’t able to get out – they may be housebound – and for people who prefer working with cash. But it’s more than that. The people on my round have become friends. We stop and have a chat and I think people enjoy that.
Obviously some people take part in our lottery because of the chance of winning, but a number of people I’ve seen win a prize then give their winning cheque back to the hospice.
There’s an element of fun too, and the lottery community all seem to be aware of the fact that they are supporting the hospice while they play.
Hospice shops attract a range of customers
In the same way, I love the interaction with customers in our shop. Being a vintage shop we get in some truly special stock with a real history and I love to see the styles of the people buy the vintage clothing as they dress so well!
We get a really diverse group of shoppers too, which keeps things fresh. Some people who come in don’t realise it’s a charity shop and are surprised when explain what it’s about, then we have a lot of regular supporters who come and do their shopping with us because they want to help the hospice. Of course we get people attracted by the stock and quite a lot of tourists. I also enjoy the students coming in to volunteer and get experience for their CVs – it all makes a difference.
There’s an element of fun with the hospice lottery and a strong sense of community.
I try to tell everyone who comes in about our range of services. Including Pilgrims Caring Clearance Service. It can be difficult when faced with the need to clear someone’s personal possessions from their home.
Pilgrims’ team of sensitive staff are now on hand to help you deal with this responsibility and decide what to do with unwanted items. They will help pack and take any items that can be re-loved and sold in Pilgrims shops, or sent to auction to raise vital funds for hospice care.
The team goes in and works closely with each person to clear the house and then any items that can be sold are taken for the hospice. I was in that position myself once and I wish I had been able to have that support. They put the person at the heart of that service which is very, very important.
There’s so much the hospice can do
I still find people are always surprised at the range of support Pilgrims offers to people. I think together we need to get the word out that as well as coming for end of life care, people at earlier stage in an incurable illness can also come here to do a lot of living.
It’s not a service that’s only for older people either, it’s for anyone in that situation and the care is adapted to your needs. I hope by talking about the support that’s out there we can start some ripples so more people get the help they need.
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
Wendy Hills, Pilgrims Hospices Director of Nursing and Care, said: “Pilgrims has over 30 years of experience working with families at some of the most difficult times of life. We are committed to having a positive impact on the individual’s experience of end of life care of as many people in east Kent as possible. This project has come from that desire.”
The project will support hospital staff on more than 50 east Kent wards and departments to give dedicated support to patients in the last days of life and work compassionately with their families.
She added: “Together with EKHUFT, we are delighted to launch the Compassion Project throughout east Kent’s hospital wards so we can reach as many people as possible.”
Extra end of life care training in Kent hospitals
The project will support hospital staff to give compassionate care to patients at end of life.
The staff, from William Harvey Hospital, Kent and Canterbury Hospital and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, will receive hands on training from a lead nurse from Pilgrims Hospices. This is alongside their own training and expertise in this field.
All departments will be be involved; non clinical and clinical. The wards and departments, such as A&E, will also receive a pack including staff guidelines, posters for the public, patient information and display materials with the compassion symbol for use in care areas.
Being there for patients and families
Annie Hogben, Compassion Project Lead for Pilgrims Hospices, explained : “End of life care is such a difficult period for patients and relatives. All of this is intended to support open and respectful communication between all staff and families.
“The symbol acts as a reminder to staff to be extra caring and to pay extra attention to relatives and friends whose loved ones are in the last stages of life and in their greatest time of need.”
She says the project is making progress so far: “We started the rollout with nine wards initially and the cascade will continue very quickly now. As well as visiting wards, we have been able to discuss the project with many clinical and non clinical staff at their local hospital ‘ hub’ meetings. The feedback has been really positive from everyone involved.”
Heidi Anderson, End of Life Care Facilitator at EKHUFT, said: “A kind word, arranging a visit from a patients’ pet or a cup of tea can be as important as a dose of medication and for the right patient can really help to get rid of some stress and anxiety.
“It is so important that we treat patients and those important to them, exactly as we would want ourselves or our loved ones treated.”
A kind word, arranging a visit from a patients’ pet or a cup of tea can really help to get rid of some stress and anxiety.
Where you might see the Compassion symbol
The Pilgrims Hospices logo will become the Compassion Symbol – used around the hospitals to raise awareness of the need to be considerate and respectful at what is a very significant and poignant time.
Following a conversation with the patient and their family with the clinical teams, the ‘Compassion Symbol ‘ will be shown at ward stations, on ward boards and on bedside curtains or side room doors when a patient is expected to die in the next few hours or days, or when a patient has just died.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
Sarah Brown: How to be a confident cyclist
Getting on your bike and out on the roads can take some building up to. Sarah Brown – a Breeze Champion, Bikeability instructor, British Cycling Level 2 coach and head instructor at Hot Chilli Cycles – learnt this when she was recovering from an injury.
Here, she offers some top tips for building your confidence on the road to everyone taking part in Divas on Wheels.
I believe you’re never too old or too young to get on your bike.
I’ve cycled for many years. I love cycling, both on and off road. I believe you’re never too old or too young to get on your bike.
During a holiday in Greece, I had an accident that left me paralysed on one side and needing a new hip. I was amazed when the physiotherapists told me, after just a few weeks of recovery, that I should get back on my bike. Cycling would be easier than walking, they said. They were the only people telling me this, but with a little encouragement I followed their advice – and it was true.
My experience shows that nothing is impossible when it comes to building the confidence to ride your bike on the road.
Here are my top tips for anyone who needs a bit of inspiration to get back in the saddle.
Cycle one step away from the kerb. This means that you’re not riding in the gutter, over the drains or in the rubbish. It also means that if a car overtakes you, they overtake you correctly, giving you more room. People like symmetry, so if you’re cycling really close to the kerb they’ll do the same to you – whereas if you’re away from the kerb, they have to overtake you correctly.
2. Awareness
You need to be looking all around you and be aware of what’s going on – the traffic, pedestrians – and, mostly importantly, you need to be looking at drivers. When you come to a T-junction, look at the driver and check that they’ve seen you. The way to do this is by smiling; then, people smile back and you know that they’ve seen you.
3. Communication
Always look behind you before you do something or move position in the road. The Lycra-clad people who ride on the road don’t look behind; they tend to just move straight out. So, the most important thing is to always look behind because then you’re communicating with the traffic. They then know that you’re about to do something.
Armed with these three top tips, you’ll cycle more confidently and assertively on the road and really enjoy feeling the power that enables you to cycle correctly.
7th June 2017
Patient comfort at the heart of ground-breaking research
Pilgrims Hospices is proud to be one of just a few hospices in the UK that are active in national research aiming to improve best practice in hospice care.
We partner up with other organisations, usually universities, to gather information. This means that health professionals can learn more about the needs of people with incurable illnesses. This helps us all continue to offer the best treatment and care.
Research Facilitator Charlotte Brigden shares the latest on one of our new projects.
King’s College study could improve patient therapy
Rehabilitation and therapy can help people living with a progressive illness to remain active and independent. It gives them support to adjust to the disease and the treatments they’re having.
Now, Pilgrims Hospices and Kent Community Health NHS Trust are working with King’s College London on a new study, using rehabilitation services in hospices, to better understand the needs of patients.
Following the experiences of patients across east Kent, the team hopes to develop ways to improve people’s quality of life. Where possible, they’re also aiming to help people maintain their independence.
More than three hundred people referred to cancer rehabilitation services in hospices across the UK will be invited to take part. Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists across Pilgrims three sites will support any patients involved from our own service.
#PilgrimsLife: From soapboxes to shredding, Siân ‘loves every minute’
Siân Phelps is Day Services Administration and Fundraising Volunteer for Pilgrims Hospices. She started volunteering in August 2011 on the suggestion of a friend who was already a volunteer. Since then she’s been involved in many aspects of Pilgrims work, from helping in Pilgrims Therapy Centres to getting involved with fundraisers, and learning new skills along the way.
My first appearance was at the Aldington Soapbox Derby, an experience in itself! I turned up, not quite knowing what my role would be, and ended up doing something I could not have imagined even a few months earlier: approaching lots of complete strangers, asking them to buy raffle tickets. Much to my surprise I really enjoyed the day. People were friendly and generous, the fundraising team gave great support. I felt I’d already developed a new skill and went home feeling proud of myself. (That was a lovely sunny August day. There was another Derby a few years later when the Pilgrims tombola was drowning under a pop-up tent, people needed welly boots to get out of the car park and we were doing a good trade in ‘emergency ponchos’….)
People are friendly and generous, the fundraising team gives great support.
I enjoyed it so I kept coming back. Since then I have sold lots more raffle tickets, helped run tombolas and other stalls, delivered leaflets, collected bottles at supermarkets, marshalled for Pyjama Walks, served refreshments, sung carols round Wye and collected with the Lions Santa Sleigh, oh, and tagged lots of Christmas trees for Tree Recycling. I nearly got lost the first year at Wyevale, as I was wearing a green coat and the trees were a lot taller than me. Then last year had hysterics with my volunteer companions at Perry Court, when I started muttering to the trees and singing ‘Whispering Grass’….
Having also said when I joined that I’d be interested in office work, I soon came to assist Anne, the Medical Secretary. I was trained in Infoflex, the patient record database, and went on to add data to the system, produce reports for the clinical staff, send out letters to patients, photocopy and – very importantly – shred things.
We are all here to give a little bit of comfort to every patient and carer.
When Anne retired and the systems changed, I went to support at the Pilgrims Therapy Centre in Ashford with colleagues Annie and Sue. Mainly I enter data onto Infoflex and keep track of statistics, but various other things as they arise. Typing up documents, being part of meetings and taking minutes, helping at events such as open days and singing workshops, covering reception.
A simple but very important thing I do is making tea and coffee for outpatients waiting for appointments or for a lift home. It always amazes me how people are so grateful to be given a cuppa and a friendly word. It’s such a simple thing, but that’s what we are all here for, to give a little bit of comfort to every patient and carer.
I have found personal benefits from volunteering too. I’ve done things I’d never done, discovered skills I didn’t know I had, met and worked with wonderful people and enjoyed every minute!
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
If you’re already volunteering for Pilgrims, share your story with us on Twitter using the hashtag #PilgrimsLife.
Together we can make a difference for the thousands of people who depend on Pilgrims services across east Kent every day of the year.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution of the millions of people who volunteer in their communities across the UK. This year it’s taking place from 1-7 June.
