Patient with MND commends support from Garden House
Saturday 21st June marks Global MND Awareness Day. In light of this, we are sharing Kent Allen's story with you. The 75-year-old from Hitchin was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) five years ago and has praised the support he is receiving from Garden House Hospice Care.
Kent attends a weekly Neuro Support Group at the Hospice. The group offers dedicated space and time to community members living with advanced neurological conditions such as MND. Activities vary depending on the individual’s needs, ranging from bespoke exercises designed to help maintain strength and range of movement, to providing emotional support.
Kent Allen was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2020
Kent referred himself to our Rehab and Wellbeing service shortly after his diagnosis and ‘hasn’t looked back’:
“The worst thing that can happen when living with MND is you isolate yourself and allow the condition to take over. But you can’t fight it on your own; don’t even accept it on your own. There's so much support you can gain from meeting other people.
“The Hospice is the perfect setting for that. You can go to hospital, get diagnosed and get the job done and leave, but here, you can meet other people and have people understand you. Everybody’s friendly, accommodating, supportive and you can be yourself.”
Motor Neurone Disease affects over 5,000 people in the UK. Over time, the condition stops nerves in your brain and spinal cord from sending signals to your muscles, causing them to weaken, stiffen and waste. Kent initially focused on his upper body and hands to keep them as viable as possible, and is now working on his lower body:
“My overall love in my whole life has been photography, and I've only just recently had to give it up because I can't physically push the button on a camera anymore. I’m still glad I did all that work with my hands but now, I'm focusing on my legs and my ability to stand and walk for as long as I can.”
Kent has a passion for photography and has donated some of his work to the Hospice
Althea Steenberg is a Physiotherapist at Garden House. She has worked closely with Kent over the last two years:
"MND is life-limiting, but it’s not the end. We are here for people like Kent from the minute they are diagnosed, based on their individual needs throughout their journeys. We also facilitate Advanced Care Planning with the patient and their family, giving them a safe environment to have what people may see as 'difficult conversations' and our Family Support team provides emotional and psychological support before and after bereavement.
"I've been working with Kent to review his daily activities and being involved in adapting his lifestyle. For example I was there when he had to stop driving, but together we found a way he could still access our services using community transport. Kent has equally done a lot for the Hospice - he supports our schools projects, spends time with new service users with MND to support them and signpost them, and is actively involved with fundraising and sourcing equipment such as stairlifts."
Kent using the Rehab & Wellbeing gym at Garden House Hospice Care
55% of the people we supported last year had a non-cancer diagnosis, compared to 31% two years before. Our new 10-year strategy, Every Person Matters, is addressing inequalities in access to hospice care, supporting not just those nearing end of life, but also those living with long-term conditions and the people around them.
We need to fundraise £10,564 every single day to provide its specialist care. This includes staffing costs, medical supplies, utility bills and raising awareness of our services.
To find out more about the care we provide and how you can access support, or to make a donation and discover other ways to help, visit the links below.
