We are very pleased to bring you this article, written for us by St Oswald’s Hospice, one of the charities supported by Torgersens.
St Oswald’s Hospice is a charitable hospice based in Newcastle upon Tyne, helping people who have life-limiting conditions to make the most of life, no matter how long that life is. Rooted in the North East, the charity has supported local people and their families for over 35 years.
We are a welcoming place that offers quality time for everyone. As well as an Adult Inpatient Unit offering pain and symptom management and end of life care, we also offer a range of therapeutic day services, a specialist Lymphoedema clinic, bereavement support services and short respite breaks for children and young adults. We have a holistic approach to care and support not just the patient, but their families too.
But we can’t do it alone. St Oswald’s Hospice relies on the support of our wonderful community of individuals and businesses like Torgersens to help us raise the £8.5 million needed each year to keep our doors and hearts open for all who need them. Together, we can continue to be there for those who need us.
Meet our patients
Aaron, aged 10, is a bubbly, happy and sociable boy who was born with a double hole in the heart and has a range of complexities which affects his health. Aaron has been using St Oswald’s Hospice Children Service for seven years. The four nights that Aaron is at the Hospice every month is the only time mam Elaine and her husband Alan get an overnight break from caring for their son.
Elaine said: “As the care is led by nurses at St Oswald’s I feel safe leaving Aaron. The staff know him so well, and they know all his wants and needs, he’s just as well looked after there as he would be at home. Because he loves singing and doing the actions of songs, Aaron particularly loves the music therapist. He also really enjoys the sensory room, arts and crafts, and anything sociable.
Although he gets a lot out of his visits, when Aaron comes to St Oswald’s my husband and I get a lot out of it too – we get us time. We love the Hospice and we really don’t know what we’d do without their support.”
Frank from Gosforth is in his eighties and has been receiving support from St Oswald’s Bereavement Support team since his wife died in May last year. After his loss, Frank struggled to cope and came to his local hospice to seek advice.
Frank said: “When I lost my wife, I didn’t know what to do. I came into the Hospice hoping someone might be able to help me and spoke to the lovely lady on reception who pointed me in Sarah’s direction. Sarah is a Bereavement Support Worker and over the last two or three months, we’ve been chatting over the phone and I have found our calls really helpful. One week, we were talking about things that made us happy, and that’s when I told her I loved to sing.
“I sang to Sarah down the phone and then every week I’d sing her a song. I loved doing it and it made me feel so good. Sarah then told me about Hannah, a Music Therapist who works at St Oswald’s, and that she might be able to help me cope with my loss through music. We were put in touch and now Hannah and I meet up, although I still sing a song to Sarah every week too!”
You can find out more about the work of St Oswald’s Hospice and how you can get involved by visiting www.stoswaldsuk.org and following us on social media.
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