Deirdre’s story

Deirdre Colledge, was initially referred to the Day Hospice for a complementary therapy session.

 If I come here at the end of my life, it will be a time of peace, love and laughter.

Since late 2008, she has attended and made use of a variety of services.

She shares her experiences with us:

‘My dedicated Hospice nurse Eileen and I have built up a close relationship; it is always reassuring to see her. She can always tell when I am a little under the weather. Once I came in with a terrible cough. Eileen immediately noticed that I needed assistance. She called my GP and arranged for a nebuliser at my home. It is wonderful to have such good communication between the professionals providing my care.

‘Not only is it comforting to have a consistency in nursing staff who care for me, it is also reassuring to have the same volunteers supporting me each week. Without them, the dynamics would change and, as a result, what we all gain from the days would change. There is no separation between us. They get completely involved in what we do; they are "doers" and not just "do gooders".

‘The social aspect of the Hospice is as important to me as the medical care I receive. I remember my first visit. I walked through the Day Hospice and saw everyone having fun and thought I want to be part of that.

‘It is great to meet up with friends who are going through similar experiences. Unlike other environments, the Hospice is somewhere I can come to and stop pretending. Family and friends are kind and ask how you are, desperately wanting you to be getting better. Sometimes I feel guilty and think that I am somehow failing them by not getting better. For me the Day Hospice is somewhere I can come and be as well or as ill as I am.

‘Following my second course of chemotherapy, when my prognosis was poor but before I became a Hospice patient, I visited to see what I should expect from a hospice and indeed terminal illness. I expected to see darkened rooms full of patients on drips; I actually observed laughter, patients and their visitors walking in the garden and a bright open building. This gave me additional hope for the future. If I come here at the end of my life, it will be a time of peace, love and laughter. People need to realise that a hospice is a place where people come to live as well as to die.’