Helping more families in need
Following a three-year appeal by Rowcroft, and with the support of our local community, the hospice has increased the provision of our Hospice at Home service across South Devon to enable more patients and those closest to them to receive the very best compassionate care in their own homes in the last two weeks of life.
Most people prefer to be in familiar surroundings and the comfort of their own homes with their possessions, loved ones and pets around them towards the end of their lives. Rowcroft’s Hospice at Home team makes this possible for patients by helping to care for them and support those closest to them so that they feel comfortable and dignified right until the end.
Rowcroft has been able to expand this service by recruiting more nurses and healthcare assistants and therefore being there for more local people who are facing the hardest times imaginable.
One of Rowcroft’s new nurses, pictured here, is Megan Thompson. She said: “It is a great privilege to be there for people at the end of their life. Most patients prefer to be in their own homes; it’s where they are most comfortable. Supporting patients and their families to enable this to happen makes the world of difference at such a difficult time. People only die once and we need to get it right.”
How your support makes a difference
In 2020, when Martin Drein was alone in hospital with just days to live, his family were unable to visit him due to COVID restrictions.
But with the help of Rowcroft’s Hospice at Home team, Martin was able to transfer back to his home in Paignton, to be cared for in his final days with his loved ones by his side. It was the expert care provided by the Hospice at Home team and the loving comfort of having the family around that made the world of difference in helping Martin to pass away peacefully. And his loved ones were left with treasured memories to cherish.
About the Hospice at Home Appeal
81% of people would prefer to die at home, but in South Devon only 24% of people achieve this.
We know that most people would prefer to die in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. We launched the Hospice at Home Appeal in 2020, raising funds to increase the number of nurses and healthcare assistants we employ in the team so that we can reach more families. With thanks to the amazing support of our community, we have been able to expand our team and will be able to care for approximately 290 more patients each year.
Hospice at Home – the journey so far
With your amazing support, we have raised £461,394 through our Hospice at Home Appeal.
Your kindness and generosity have enabled us to welcome new healthcare assistants and nurses to the Hospice at Home team; we have purchased essential IT equipment; and we are working more closely with other healthcare providers in order to reach patients earlier. Thank you so much to our Hospice at Home corporate partners including our headline sponsor Inter-Line and to all of the charitable trusts that have donated including The Wolfson Foundation, The James Tudor Foundation, NHS Charities Together and The Richard Lawes Foundation.
Corporate partners
Are you a local business looking to make an outstanding difference to your community?
We would love to work with you to engage your staff in making a meaningful and tangible difference. There are a number of ways that you can become involved including through volunteering, sponsorship or joining our Corporate Club.
Grand Gestures Club
Would you like to make an outstanding difference to your community by helping us to further expand the Hospice at Home service to care for more families in desperate need across South Devon? Your support will help families for generations to come, creating a lasting legacy of love, compassion and care.
