Hospice News

Patient & Carer Stories

Learning to paint isn't the first thing people think of when they visit our Day Services unit but for Richard, it made a big difference.

Richard, aged 75, had a heart condition and attended our Day Services weekly sessions. Art was one of the options and he discovered that he had a real talent for painting.

"It's more than surprised me. It's really lifted me," said Richard.

"I do what I know I can do within my comfort zone. I've been coming here for four or five months. I enjoy the company and we've all become friends. Coming here we all get on and have fun. I'm enjoying it and I feel at home here. I've had a good life and I want to payback what I owe."

Richard sold his paintings of local landscapes to raise money for the Hospice. He took some paintings to our Clevedon shop, adding a few words about what he was painting and why. All of his artwork sold within days, so he painted more. His landscapes included images of the church and triangle in Clevedon. These paintings sold for more than £300 in the shop and there are other pictures that will be put up for sale.

Our Day Services courses are a space for people to come to the Hospice without clinical pressure. The group is run by nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. We use the Rehabilitative Palliative Care model where we talk about how to manage sleep and health at home and provide a balance between education and a social group. We encourage the connection and relationships that build up between the people who come to these sessions as they want the social support of their peer group.

Occupational Therapist Grace says: "We use therapy to build people's sense of purpose through our creative groups.

"Day Services is an environment where there's support if you need it, but also the opportunity to be independent to do things yourself. It's amazing to see people rediscover their identity, their sense of self. Our patients are at a point in their life where they're feeling lots of change – both physical and cognitive. They find there are things they can't do any more but find joy in other things and new ways of living their later life."

Day Services