Respite care brings precious hours of rest to people caring for their palliative loved ones at home and builds on the much-loved and much-needed night sitting service.
Rosemary had been looking after her beloved husband Les at home because she knew he wanted to be at home. Looking after someone at home, when you feel alone, can be tiring and feel daunting. In COVID times it can be difficult for a wider family and friends to come and help. When Rosemary was told about the St John’s Respite service, she decided to take up their support – this is her story.
The treatment and care Les and I have received is phenomenal and I can’t praise the team enough. If I’m honest, I couldn't have managed without their help. Having their help meant Les could be at home, it made such a difference, especially with some of the issues I was struggling to manage. I remember one day Hospice at Home arrived, I’d had a very difficult day and poured my heart out to her. She took control and liaised with many other healthcare people from outside the Hospice to pull everything together. They're so practical and caring.
The first time they came I went outside for a walk for an hour: to feel the air on my face for the first time since summer just felt so nice, I could enjoy being outside because I knew Les was safe inside with St John’s. Hospice at Home came to us on Christmas Day – I cannot describe how much that meant to me, that someone thought so much of us that they would come to us on Christmas Day.
Les had Parkinson’s and Myloma. That description paints a picture of a man and yet I think of him as a man who was a loving husband, an intelligent man who successfully wrote and published 14 books, was a Professor at Lancaster University and a fit and keen mountain walker.
I knew about St John’s as twenty years ago a friend of mine went there and found the experience of being there very comforting. For me the experience has also been comforting and gave Les the passing we both wanted – at home. Respite care may not sound vital but without this care Les could have died in Hospital.
Rosemary & Les
