Specialist end of life care is a vital lifeline. Please can you give people essential support during difficult times?
Yes, I want to help care for terminally ill people.
St Luke’s Specialist Community Nurses like, Mandy and Andy (pictured above) regularly visit patients out in our community. They ensure people have the best care in place to live well in the comfort of their home.
Mandy and Andy gave ongoing practical and emotional support to Clare and her mum. Clare shares the incredible impact our care had on her family in the hope to raise essential funds for the Hospice and raise awareness of our free services.
“The last year of mum’s journey was a real case of survival and we couldn’t have got through it without St Luke’s help.”
“Mum started with physio at the Hospice because her condition made it difficult for her to walk. This, along with regular Hospice massages and aromatherapy sessions maintained her strength and mobility for a long time.
Mum then became totally bedridden, weak and needed 24-hour help. We only coped for the last 11 months of mum’s life because of St Luke’s exceptional palliative care at home. They really gave me life and death advice.
Mandy and Andy could see mum went from drinking and eating soft foods to suddenly needing everything to be liquidised. They told me I needed to use thickener in her drinks so she wouldn’t choke. It’s important this was explained to me because if somebody doesn’t drink you are desperate to give them water and I could have killed mum with my own kindness by giving her a drink!
I was always reassured and given guidance, and mum always smiled at them even when she was at her worst.
Even when Mandy and Andy weren’t on duty, the Hospice helped a lot through their Pall-24 helpline. It really was my lifeline to have a 24-hour listening ear and always being signposted to help.
I don’t know how I would have survived or fulfilled mum’s wish to die at home without the Hospice being by our side every step of the way. They allowed me to be a daughter again when it mattered the most.
Please join me in saying thank you to Mandy, Andy and the team by helping to raise £10,500. This is equivalent to funding 343 community home visits. Your support really would mean the world.”
Mandy shares the impact your gift could make
“It’s a privilege to care for people like Clare’s family and an incredible honour that I was there to support them in their time of need.
If we can make a difficult part of somebody’s life better, then that really is the best reward in the job.
It was Clare’s mum’s wish to be supported and die in her home. Your gift can enable us to facilitate this for other people and give the vital end of life care people need in our community. Thank you.”
Your gift will be match funded
Thanks to the generosity of long-standing supporter Bell Container Trading, up to £5,250 of donations received from Clare’s Lifeline appeal will be doubled, making your donation go further at no cost to you.
Please donate to Clare’s Lifeline appeal today
could fund a home visit to a patient like Clare’s mum from a Clinical Nurse Specialist like Mandy or Andy.
could fund a physiotherapy session, helping a patient to remain safe, mobile and independent at home.
could fund 1 hour of St Luke’s Pall-24 helpline service.
Prefer to donate over the phone?
To donate over the phone or if you have any difficulties donating on our website, please call our friendly supporter care team on 020 8382 8030 or email donations@stlukes-hospice.org and we will be happy to help.
