Winter is tough when you’re in the late stages of a life-limiting illness, especially if you want to stay at home for what will be your last Christmas. The cold keeps you inside, visits decrease, and the emotional toll weighs heavily. This is where our community team come in, spending their winter caring for people in these situations in the comfort of their own homes.
Comprising of nurses, health care assistants and admin support, our community team spend winter visiting people, helping families cope, escalating issues, and giving care. They may even pop Christmas dinner in the oven. United, they keep families together, home, safe, in peace and comfort during what can be a difficult time of year.
Referrals are rising for these services, with Hertfordshire having the highest number of people on the End-of-Life Register in England. Our team is ready to meet the demand, but we need your support for them to do so. Earlier this year, we announced a £750,000 funding shortfall. Help us to close this gap and meet the expected demand this winter.
How your support could help
For one week only, every £1 you give can be doubled to £2 at no extra cost to you to through the Big Give Christmas Challenge. Here are some suggested amounts and what they might pay for:
- £38, doubled to £76, could fund a visit to a patient’s home
- £102, doubled to £204, could cover travel costs for two days
- £1681, doubled to £3362, could pay for a full day of home visits.
%
increase in demand for our community services
visits carried out every year by our community team
the number of visits every day (including Christmas day)
“It is an honour to be part of a team that works together to provide amazing care enabling people to stay at home at the end of their lives, working in partnership with families and loved ones.”
- Cathy, Community Services Manager
“Winter brings challenges like the weather, when roads flood and you’re trying to stay dry and safe. Finding door numbers can be a hard in the dark. You can get a sense of isolation - fewer people want to visit patients when it’s cold. And Christmas, for many it’s their last together as a family.”
- Diane, Senior Health Care Assistant
“We do personal care and give emotional and practical support for family members. We have our laptops so we can contact our team or district nurses quickly if there’s an issue. We focus on keeping them comfortable and in their home for Christmas. I just wish we could see more people.”
- Diana, Health Care Assistant
With thanks to our match funders:
