This year, Glyn Brownley will give up celebrating Christmas with his family to help support those with terminal illnesses across the county as part of a service offered by Nottinghamshire Hospice in Mapperley.
The healthcare assistant, who has worked with the hospice for the past seven years, is down to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, supporting both the Hospice at Home and Hospice Night Support Service, which continue to operate throughout the Christmas period.
Glyn said that caring for terminally ill people at Christmas time is especially poignant.
He said: “The job becomes more difficult as soon as the Christmas tree goes up because it’s harder for families. It’s the same job, but it pulls at the heartstrings more.
“Families are extra vulnerable at this time of year so we need to be especially sensitive.”
Last year was especially tough for the healthcare worker as one of his patients died on Christmas Day.
“People die seven days a week and they die on Christmas day. That’s why I do the job, “he said.
“It’s harder for families at Christmas it’s a time when everyone’s supposed to be merry. You can pull up at a house where someone is dying, and next door people are partying because it’s Christmas. It makes losing someone especially raw.”
One family all too aware of this is the family of Lottie Pacey.
Lottie lived an active independent life in her home in Newthorpe, Nottiinghamshire, well into her 90s until last Autumn when she was taken into hospital after having a fall. After this her health declined and she developed heart failure.
She was admitted to hospital in late November but was keen to be home with family close by so was discharged on December 14 after which Nottinghamshire Hospice stepped in with Hospice at Home care at night.
Her daughter Linda said: “For the first few days before the hospice got involved I stayed there day and night but when the nurses started coming in at night it gave me a break. It meant I could go home and get some sleep. It gave me peace of mind knowing she was being well looked after.
“The nurses were brilliant. I was happy to leave my mum in their care, knowing that she was safe. I can’t fault the service we received from the hospice.”
The care provided eased pressure on Linda and other family members in the run up to Christmas and meant that Lottie, whose large family included five siblings, 30 grandchildren plus great-grandchildren, had plenty of company over the festive period.
“It is important that this service is available all year round but especially important at Christmas as it meant she got to see a lot of family members who she would probably not have seen if she’d been in hospital. They knew exactly where she was and it was much easier for them to come and see her at home than it would have been if she’d been in hospital,” Linda added.
The hospice continued to provide overnight care for Lottie each night including Christmas Eve. She died on Christmas day with family around her. She was 95.
There are currently more than 60 Hospice at Home staff caring for more than 100 patients across Nottinghamshire. There are two Hospice Night Support teams working each night, including over Christmas.
To find out more about how Nottinghamshire Hospice can help you or your family please phone their care co-ordinators on 0115 9621222, email info@nottshospice.org or go to https://www.nottshospice.org/our-care-services/accessing-our-services/
