Mary Stevens Hospice for palliative care.Care

Mary Stevens Hospice

January 11, 2017By

Specialist chairs enhance palliative care

The Mary Stevens Hospice delivers high quality palliative care, symptom control and therapy to people living with life limiting illnesses in the Stourbridge area. Last year the hospice provided 66,624 hours of direct care for patients on the In-Patient unit with around 18 patients attending the Day Therapies Clinic per day.

Palliative care often be a painful experience with patients experiencing, anxiety, breathlessness, discomfort and mobility issues as a result of their illness. Each of these issues has a direct and dramatic impact on the self-esteem and emotional wellbeing of a patient and it is therefore important that they are assisted in their daily life.

To help provide some added comfort and independence the hospice used our £4,000 donation to purchase 8 riser-recliner chairs. The chairs will benefit the patients as simple activities such as sitting and standing can be extremely challenging and painful for them. The chairs allow the patients to adjust the position of their seat without the need for assistance, whilst alleviating the pressure and stress on joints and muscles.

The chairs will also reduce the demand and physical strain on the nursing staff by providing the patients with ability to readjust their position themselves.

“Funding like this enables to continue giving the care that we do. The chairs will be a great help to our patients at the hospice as they will give them comfort and relieve pain. What you’ve enabled us to do is enhance the level of care that we’re able to provide” Alex Winstanley from Mary Stevens Hospice

 

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Carer with patient at St Christopher's Hospice.Care

St Christopher’s Hospice

June 5, 2016By

Hydrotherapy for patients in palliative care

St Christopher’s Hospice provides palliative care for over 2,500 patients each year in Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark and is dedicated to providing high-quality medical care and  social integration opportunities to all their patients.

We donated £5,000 which the charity used to purchase therapeutic baths. The new baths are completely accessible with various settings from providing gentle massages to vigorous stimulation. They have acute temperature controls to give a relaxing and invigorating bathing experience.

The therapeutic baths can be used by in-patients who are bed-bound or have limited mobility. They can provide temporary sanctuary for the patients – relieving aches, pains and pressures. It gives patient physical and psychological benefits, and independently addresses personal hygiene.

“We’re completely thrilled that Axis have agreed to support us. Your donation will go towards a brand new therapeutic bath, which will really help dozens of patients a year with terminal conditions enjoy a relaxing, comforting bath at the hospice. Thank you!”- Hilary Teare, the Medical Devices Administrator

More About St Christopher’s Hospice

St Christopher’s Hospice is one of the largest in England and the first modern hospice, making it an early pioneer of palliative medicine. Last year, the centre admitted 656 patients into the Inpatient Unit.

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Elderly patient at North London hospice receives support from two carersCare

North London Hospice

September 11, 2014By

Specialist equipment increases comfort for terminally ill

The North London Hospice is a registered charity that has been caring for local people since 1984. They assist with the specialist needs of those with life-limiting illnesses; providing physical, emotional and spiritual care to patients and families, friends and carers. The hospice already looks after approximately 1,400 terminally-ill patients and their families each year.

Thanks to £4,800 from the Axis Foundation, patients at the North London Hospice will benefit from new specialist furniture designed to provide comfort through supportive postural and pressure care.

Our donation has purchased a pneumatic ‘HydroTilt’ recliner chair that will be available to hundreds of inpatients throughout the year. The specialist equipment protects vulnerable areas of the body from pressure damage and encourages healthy sitting positions, whilst Reflexion foam and Water-cell technology ensures comfort. These chairs will make sure that patients receive the finest standard of care possible.

“An important aspect of hospice care is the individual’s physical comfort. Proper seating plays a vital role in alleviating pain, but these seating requirements are often complex; trying to balance issues of comfort, pressure management, posture control and independence is not always easy” – Isla Stevenson, North London Hospice

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Elderly man on specialist mattress to help patients in palliative care at St lukesCare

St Luke’s Hospice

May 28, 2014By

Specialist mattress helps patients in palliative care

In 2014, the Axis Foundation’s donation of £3,800 purchased a specialist mattress to help patients in palliative care at St Luke’s Hospice in Essex.

St Luke’s Hospice provides specialist medical, nursing, social and psychological care to people suffering with life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses such as advanced cancer, heart failure and multiple sclerosis.

Patients here spend prolonged periods of time sitting and lying down due to the nature of their severe illnesses. Our mattress, of a unique construction combining air with a soft foam surface designed specifically to alleviate pressure, was particularly beneficial.

As the Hospice relies on donations for over 75% of the funding needed to continue their work, Allison Jones, the Hospice’s Funding Officer was delighted with our donation:

“Without the generosity of organisations like the Axis Foundation, we could not provide care service to the people suffering from these terrible illnesses or support the families who suffer along with them. It’s vital for our community that Hospice’s services are available for those in need; the organisations and individuals that fund us demonstrate our value to the community.”

St Luke’s is a registered charity serving the Basildon and Thurrock districts providing patients and their families with vital care services at no financial cost.

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Shooting Star nurse on home visits to families caring for a life-limited childCare

Shooting Star Chase

May 12, 2014By

Home visits to families caring for a life-limited child

Shooting Star Chase‘s ‘Hospice at Home’ scheme brings care to children approaching the end of their life in their own homes. The sick children are in familiar surroundings, with their family and their own home comforts. The service brings the same medical, nursing and therapeutic care as the hospices offer. The scheme gives families the chance to relax a little and do chores around the house or even go out, knowing that their child is in the best care.

To support this vital service, the Axis Foundation donated a total of £2,508 (£1,140 in 2013, £1,368 in 2014) which funded over 20 home visits to families caring for a life-limited child.

 “We now have one of the largest Hospice at Home teams in the country. We recorded an average of 250 home visits to families caring for a life-limited child per month. Yet, this is only made possible through the wonderful support from organisations like the Axis Foundation. Thank you.” –  Brian Gallagher, Shooting Star Chase

“Care is constantly changing and we need to be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of the families we support. The Hospice at Home team plays a vital role allowing parents to be Mum and Dad, not just care givers. We’ll continue to develop the service so that the children and families we support can have the care they so desperately need in the location of their choice. We are very grateful for the donation from The Axis Foundation” – Elaine Conisbee, Interim Director of Care

What the families say

“When things become too much, and you really can’t see a way out of the dark hole you are in, the hospice proves that someone else really does care.”

“The Hospice at Home service is amazing. I feel like I’ve been on a mini-holiday, recharging my batteries and putting me in very good spirits.”

More About Shooting Star Chase

Shooting Star Children’s Hospice and CHASE Hospice for Children merged together to form Shooting Star Chase and to care for over 600 families living all across western London, Surrey and West Sussex who have a child or teenager not expected to reach their nineteenth birthday.

 

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Trustees giving a cheque to the Trinity Hospice.Care

Trinity Hospice

December 18, 2013By

End of life care for hospice patients

Trinity Hospice supports people through end of life care, with their main aim to help patients ‘live every moment.’ The charity provides both in-patient and home care to people with a range of conditions, from cancer to neurological illnesses, as well as respite and education services to their families.

The Hospice is majority funded by charitable donations, such as the £5,250 from the Axis Foundation which was used to purchase 10 pressure relieving mattress for the in-patient centre.

 “Providing care for members of our community is at the heart of the Axis Foundation’s objectives. We see Trinity’s specialist services as vital to improving the quality of life for sufferers and helping them through the medical choices and stages for their illness”-  Mick Hayes, Axis Foundation Trustee

“Many patients are admitted to us in the later stages of their condition and are confined to bed with limited mobility. The mattresses specially designed to support end of life care are an essential piece of equipment, able to prevent painful and uncomfortable symptoms, they minimise the risk of pressure build-ups and create a massaging effect that promotes sleeping patterns. The purchase of 10 new mattresses will benefit hundreds of patients over the coming years” – Zahra Khan, Trinity Hospice

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Carer with elderly patient at St Josephs hospiceCare

St Joseph’s Hospice

November 8, 2013By

Specialist machine for Lymphoedema sufferers

£4,000 from the Axis Foundation purchased east London’s St Joseph’s Hospice a Flowtron Hydroven 12. This is a specialist machine for Lymphoedema sufferers to relieve the pain and swelling that are common with this condition.

“Receiving funding from the Axis Foundation is brilliant news and our patients will definitely benefit from this donation. Lymphoedema can be extremely disfiguring and health services are specialist and scarce so very often people miss out on getting treatment that can help. The Hydroven 12 machine will offer treatment to those people that would otherwise not be able to access or tolerate other lymphoedema treatments. It will enable people to have treatment in their own home and continue to work and live a normal life, which is vital to people who have a life-limiting condition. We are extremely grateful to all those involved” – Kim Barlow, Specialist Palliative Physiotherapist and Lymphoedema Practitioner

What is Lymphoedema?

Lymphoedema is a long-term (chronic) condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms or legs. It develops when the lymphatic system doesn’t work properly.

How The Flowtron Hydroven 12 works

The Flowtron Hydroven 12 machine has an arm and leg sleeve, which inflates and deflates to massage the lymph channels and glands, encouraging drainage of fluid out of an enlarged limb. The machine mimics the practitioner’s lymphatic drainage hand massage technique

Benefits for sufferers

  • Flowtron Hydroven 12 sessions are shorter than those with a clinical practitioner
  • Sufferers can experience a beneficial 10- -day course of treatment at home without having to take time off work/interrupt their lives

 

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Exterior shot of St Clare Hospice with signCare

St Clare Hospice

October 12, 2013By

Helping Hospice patients with pain relief

The Axis Foundation has donated £3,405 to St Clare Hospice in Essex to purchase two McKinley T34 Syringe Drivers. These important specialist pieces of clinical equipment provide Hospice patients with pain relief at home. And, with greater control over their own pain management, patients requires less intervention from a nurse so they can lead more independent lives.

St Clare’s Director of Patient Care, Louise Cameron, explains how they work: “The Syringe Driver is a small battery-powered pump that delivers medication from a syringe through a soft plastic tube placed under the skin. These small pumps provide continuous prescribed doses of medication to alleviate symptoms such as pain and nausea, sickness and fitting. Syringe drivers also ensure that patients do not have to undergo repeated painful injections or take medicine when they have trouble swallowing.”

Louise added her thanks: “Syringe drivers are crucial for our patient care services. We are grateful to the Axis Foundation for enabling the Hospice to buy these vital pieces of clinical equipment.”

More About St Clare Hospice

St Clare Hospice provides specialist care for people living with life-limiting illnesses in the west Essex and east Hertfordshire border area. The charity cares for patients and their families, providing physical, social, psychological and spiritual support. St Clare Hospice’s annual running costs total £2.8m, 70 per cent of which comes from voluntary income.

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Woman carer standing next to elderly man and child at St Johns HospiceCare

St John’s Hospice

August 20, 2013By

New chairs support patients with limited mobility

St John’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care services to over 2,000 people each year suffering from life-limiting illnesses or long-term conditions. The Axis Foundation donated £4,470 to the hospice, buying three patient chairs to help patients to sit and stand, as well as aiding nurses with bed transfers and hoisting.

Before we made our donation, the chairs at the hospice were low in number and of poor quality. Our new chairs will facilitate simple tasks such as sitting and standing. They also provide extra support for those who are unable to maintain their body posture. The chairs provide more than just physical support to patients with limited mobility; it helps them to build up their confidence, self-esteem and independence again.

 ‘I was delighted to hear the wonderful news of support from the Axis Foundation. I cannot thank the Foundation enough for this generous grant of £4,470 for new specialist patient chairs for use on our Inpatient Unit. Upgrading patient seating will allow us to meet the increasingly specialised needs of patients and maintain our high standards of care.’ Steve Barnes, Hospice Director

Previous Support from the Axis Foundation

In 2014, the Axis Foundation donated £2,000 to the hospice. This enabled them to purchase specialist laser equipment that helps patients with limited mobility due to painful swelling and heaviness in their limbs. The laser reduces patients’ pain and discomfort through its ability to soften tissue and reduce limb swelling.  It can also improve scar tissue (post mastectomy), increase the time it takes to heal wounds and boosts the immune system. The laser specifically helps those suffering from upper and lower limb Lymphoedema. Without adequate treatment, lymphoedema can have major effects, including long-term disability, difficulties with work and emotional problems.

“We are very grateful for voluntary grants and donations like this from The Axis Foundation which enables us to provide a much-loved service to vulnerable people with life-limiting illnesses” – Laura Marazzi, Trust Fundraising Manager

More About St John’s Hospice

The hospice, based in Central London, is the largest palliative care provider in Westminster and cares for people suffering from cancer, HIV, motor neurone disease and other terminal illnesses. People in their care need support with a wide range of symptoms including acute pain, severe mobility problems, anxiety, breathlessness and weight loss. This includes patients with advanced neurological conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and brain tumours.

A Message from St John’s Hospice on our 10th Birthday

For our 10th Birthday, St John’s Hospice had a message of thanks for the Axis family:

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