Adapting in the face of crisis

Friday, 15 May 2020
Adapting in the face of crisis

Jo's beaming smile and bubbly personality is a firm fixture in our community. Patients look forward to seeing her at our three Outreach groups where there's a full programme of fun activities to get involved with. From making scarecrows for summer festivals, ceramics and flower arranging, Jo's creativity never fails to wow us all.

Sadly, Outreach has closed its doors for the moment, and Jo has been tasked with creating 'a new normal', which she has taken completely in her stride.

Chats with a cuppa round a big table may be on hold, but Jo still makes sure she calls our Outreach patients each week to see how they are. She's sent out some wonderful activity packs full of quizzes and puzzles to help to occupy their time whilst they're self isolating.

Talking about the transition Jo said; ' Recently we sent out hand painted cards, sometimes it’s nice to get a little surprise in the post. The patients love to have a chat and it helps to break up their days and we love to know how they are all doing at home.'

During the first weeks of the crisis, our Incare ward unfortunately had to shut to visitors to help protect patients and staff. This was hard for families whose loved ones were at the Hospice, so Jo hand painted some cards that were sent out. These were a more personal touch for the loved ones of patients.

As we see more admissions into the Hospice, Jo is planning on doing some of the memory work that she has previously done with patients on Incare. she said;

'Some patients like to leave something special and personal for their loved ones and I can help them to achieve that. I have had some really special times with patients, creating bespoke pieces and sometimes I still think about them and wonder if their family member gets some comfort from it. Things that are hand made or have your loved ones touch just mean so much.'

We want to say a big thank you to Jo for adapting so well in these difficult times. We know it means so much to our Outreach patients that they can keep in touch with our team at the Hospice.

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