On Thursday 18th November St Clare Hospice will be bringing its specialist palliative care expertise to the community in Saffron Walden, in the form of a weekly drop-in event for local people. The St Clare Community Hub aims to support local people in their palliative journey, from receiving a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness, to the end of life; through to bereavement and beyond.
The St Clare Community Hub will be taking place 10am – 3pm on the third Thursday of every month, starting on Thursday 18th November, at the Salvation Army, 5 Abbey Lane, Saffron Walden CB10 1AG. Anyone living in West Essex and East Herts who is, or knows someone, facing a life-limiting illness, or who is experiencing bereavement, is welcome to attend.
Evidence indicates that early delivery of palliative care and support reduces unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of other health services. The Hospice’s new St Clare Community Hub will offer local people living with a life-limiting illness (and their families and caregivers) a range of holistic support, including:
- Practical support, including advice, information and signposting in relation to housing, benefits, debt, navigating the social care system, employment, wills, lasting power of attorney and funeral planning.
- Emotional, psychosocial and bereavement support.
- Pastoral care, spiritual and chaplaincy support
- Creative memory workshops for both adults, and Children and Young People
- A Bereavement Café
- Opportunities for other local community resources to share their services
“Diagnosis of a terminal illness brings with it an immediate need to reorganise differing priorities, as well as a wealth of new challenges and concerns both medically, emotionally and practically all of which can create fears and worries that can be overwhelming and difficult to manage,” says Sushma Dhami, Patient and Family Support Services Manager at St Clare Hospice.
“Our aim is to support people earlier with our care, be responsive to local need and demystify the public’s perception of hospice care. Through local research, we have identified a lack of local community support for those in the initial stages of a palliative diagnosis. As a Hospice, we know that people in the north of our catchment area sometimes struggle to access all of our services – which is why we are bringing our expertise out to people in the local community.”
The St Clare Community Hub is part of the Hospice’s new Wellbeing Hub, which brings together the services and events that the Hospice offers to people in the local community who are living with a life-limiting illness or who are caring for someone who has a life-limiting illness.
The Wellbeing Hub enables people to live well with life-limiting illnesses by supporting them earlier in their journey and helping them to navigate the health and social care system. The essence of the Wellbeing Hub is to provide a tiered approach to support, with expert clinics, living well programmes and community education and networking events – bringing people with similar experiences together to enable them to form their own support networks.
For more information on events, groups and clinics that are part of St Clare Hospice’s Wellbeing Hub, visit: stclarehospice.org.uk/wellbeing-hub
