Whatever your artistic skills you can join these sessions in order to explore with others an interesting subject each week. You can meet people with common interests and enjoy an activity together.

Wellbeing Centre Art Gallery

A one-off session that is repeated about once a month, led by a physio and a Wellbeing Nurse. It includes a basic physiology of ‘how we breathe’, and outlines medications that can help with breathing problems. The majority of the session, however, concentrates on techniques and strategies that can help ease breathlessness, in addition to medication. Helpful to patients and carers alike.

Being a carer can be positive and rewarding, but at the same time you need some time for yourself. These sessions provide you with the opportunity to meet with others in a similar situation, gain support and share experiences and advice.

We have face to face sessions with our Wellbeing Team for anyone caring for a loved-one on the following dates:

Thurs 26 May: Introductions

An opportunity to meet other people caring for a loved one and to talk with our experienced staff

Weds 1 June: Physical wellbeing including moving and handling

An opportunity to ensure you are looking after yourself physically and learn techniques on moving your loved one without harming yourself.

Thurs 9 June: Eating well

A session about what to expect when preparing meals for the person you care for and look at ways to encourage them to eat as well as possible. Also to ensure you are eating well yourself – we can share some ideas.

Thurs 16 June: Mental wellbeing

A session looking at relaxation for yourself, and ensuring you make some time to care for your own emotional wellbeing whilst looking after your loved one.

Thurs 23 June: How to cope as the person you care for becomes less well

With our experienced nursing staff, explore what to expect as the person you care for becomes less well. What are the signs you are looking out for, how to help them as they reach the last stages of life.

Thurs 30 June: Planning Ahead

An opportunity to look at future wishes and how to ensure you have the conversations that will help to cover all the issues relating to end of life arrangements, how to record them and make sure that people who need to know are aware of the documentation.

We’ll also have weekly carers’ support sessions via zoom, every Wednesday 10am-11am from 15 June onwards, throughout the summer.  This will be followed by our next rolling programme of sessions in September.

To book your place and receive zoom details for any the sessions, please email: rosienoble@pah.org.uk

We are currently running monthly Question and Answer sessions with a Princess Alice Palliative Care Consultant. Each session has a broad subject – for example ‘Cancer Treatments and their Side Effects’, ‘Pain relief, opioids and steroids’ – but any questions are welcome. This is also an opportunity to learn about the experience of other patients in a similar situation, and it highlights different ways to manage, or perhaps avoid, potential problems.

Complementary therapies are treatments which do not lie within mainstream medical care and are instead used in addition to conventional treatments. They include such things as acupuncture, reiki, chiropractic, homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology and herbal medicines. Many people now choose to use therapies like these, either alongside their standard medical treatment or when they are at the stage of palliative or end of life care, as they can bring many therapeutic benefits to the person.  The Princess Alice therapy team particularly use essential oils to provide respite from emotional distress, aid sleeping, ease breathing difficulties and much more. Alongside this, massage, reflexology and reiki can be given to induce a deeper level of relaxation and provide the service user with some important time and space. 

REIKI  

Reiki is used in a variety of care settings across the world and in the UK including NHS acute trusts for example; UCL and Royal Surrey, cancer wards, palliative care and hospices.  

Reiki is an energy healing system that originated in Japan in the 19th century. It is one of the many complimentary therapies.  

The practitioner places their hands on or near the recipient who remains fully clothed. Reiki is used to promote relaxation and decrease stress by balancing and moving energy in the body. Recipients may feel tingling, coolness, warmth, or nothing at all.  

There is an increasing body of published research that identifies the effectiveness of Reiki in decreasing anxiety, reducing fatigue and increasing the quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy as well as other factors related to physical and psychological health.

This group is an opportunity to reflect on different aspects of your life, talk about them with others if you wish, and write down whatever you feel is important. Over the weeks you will be able to develop this into a letter, written to yourself but perhaps also for your family and a wider audience, that looks back on your life and what it means to you – what it became, and what it still will be. It is a chance to say both I was there and I am still here, and to find the connection between the two.

Small groups where patients can meet with others in a similar situation. These groups are patient-led, and cover a variety of subjects. Patients can discuss freely what concerns them with in a safe environment.

When soothing musical waves connect with the brain waves, the body relaxes. Guided relaxation offer many benefits such as stress reduction, positive thinking. It’s suitable for all ages and is beginner friendly. It’s an effective practice that can be used to help manage symptoms like, pain, fatigue, nausea and sleep disorders.

Week 1 – So I’m ill – What next?

Adapting to change when living with a life limiting illness.  How the hospice can provide support, guidance and assistance.

Week 2 – March – Pain Management

Overview of medication and other strategies to aid pain relief.

Week 3 – March – Spiritual Care

A chance to reflect on how your illness might affect you outlook on life, and the prospect of life coming to an end.

Week 4 – March – Emotional Care and Complementary Therapy

This talk looks at how emotions can manifest themselves and the impact in both a physical and psychological way. We explore the use of complementary therapies and how these can bring positive change.

Week 5 – March – Fatigue and Energy Conservation

An overview of the symptoms of Fatigue and strategies to manage Energy Levels

Week 6 – April – Nursing and Social Funding

General information on benefits you may be entitled to, and how to access social or nursing care, at home or elsewhere.

Week 7 – April – Keeping Active

The benefits of physical exercise, despite limitations.  Includes a short armchair exercise session.

Week 8 – April – Planning Ahead

Introducing ‘Advanced Care Planning’ documentation, which might help with difficult decisions and discussions about your future.

The benefits of mindful art include a sense of relaxation due to being absorbed in an activity and getting in the “zone”. When in ” the zone” distraction from daily worries and stresses can take place. As such it can help in reducing anxiety. Additionally, it can improve self esteem by highlighting skills that may have laid dormant for many years. By being part of a shared activity, relationships can be fostered and communication encouraged.

The Wellbeing Centre invites you to join our Circle of Practice. You will be guided through short mindfulness practices in a small group and consider ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life.

Mindfulness is a simple approach to paying attention to the present moment. By paying attention to what is happening in the here and now, we can accept our experience as it is, in a non-judgemental way with kindness and compassion. Regular mindfulness practice can help reduce anxiety, stress, and improve health and wellbeing.

Sessions are 30-45 mins and will be seated. No experience necessary.

‘Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly who you are’.

Jon Kabat Zinn

Music plays an important part in the everyday life of many of us.  Whether it is for recreation, distraction, dancing or to raise our mood, a lot of us enjoy listening to music.

We all know the power of a song or piece of music to trigger vivid memories that seem to transport us back in time. Which songs or pieces of music bring back memories from your life or connect with you emotionally? The songs we love become woven into a tapestry entwined with the people, places and situations we have experienced throughout our lives.

This is a pilot of six sessions.  Using a different theme each week, we hope to discover these important songs as well as share them and their significance in a small group via Zoom, streaming the songs through Spotify.

Once taking part, the hope is that you will be able build up a bank or playlist of songs that have real meaning and provide a soundtrack to your life which you can continue to add to after the group has finished.

Sessions with a member of the clinical team, giving you the opportunity to discuss any worries or ask any questions, which are more personal.

This is a seated exercise session led by our physiotherapists. The aim of the group is to maintain movement and function of your muscles so that you can continue with the everyday activities.

This is a chair-based yoga group, that will include movement, yogic breathing and meditation using a variety of techniques to help the mind to settle. This session with gentle poses will help you to reduce your anxiety. Yoga can be practiced at any age and can be performed almost anywhere. The aim is to relieve you from symptoms, pain, physical difficulties, mental stress of illness, and improved quality of life.

Each month, starting in December, the Wellbeing Centre will be hosting a quiz.

These quizzes will include a mix of general knowledge, music and trivia and are designed to be fun, engaging and inclusive.

The focus of our Wellbeing Centre is supporting people with life-limiting illnesses to live as fully and independently as possible. Our sessions help patients to build their confidence and gain control of their lives, as well as supporting them to manage their symptoms. We are also here for family members and friends as well as anyone else who might benefit from our expertise.

The Wellbeing Sessions are aimed for people with a life limiting illness and their loved ones.

We encourage people to give it a try. Everyone is very friendly and inclusive. Patients welcome each other even if they haven’t met before. Sometimes patients who feel low get a nice boost after joining these sessions.

All you need to be able to join the session is three things.

1. You need access to the Internet
2. You need a device with camera, speakers and microphone. This can be, a laptop, tablet, PC with camera and microphone, or a smartphone
3. You will be sent an email link to the meeting which will automatically start zoom with the meeting ID box populated

You can join the relaxation sessions, the art, or the carers’ group.

Of course, she can join with you. She can also join any of the other relevant sessions to her, like relaxation sessions, the yoga, the exercise, the art or the carers’ group.

All of our sessions are free of charge.