Patient, family and carer support

Our team, offer emotional support to you and your family, including children, helping you cope better with your situation and feel more prepared.

Post-bereavement, we continue to support your family, giving you the opportunity to share feelings and talk about your loss

Family support can be given at the hospice, at home or, for children and young people, at school. You can access it either through one-to-one sessions or by attending on of our support groups

• Grief Group: A six-session programme for adults, followed by monthly drop-in gatherings for continued support.
• Dads Cry Too (DC2): A monthly group specifically for fathers who have lost a child, offering a compassionate space to connect with others.
• MUM (Mums Understanding Mums): A group for mothers grieving the loss of a child of any age.
• Sparklers: A monthly support group for children aged 5 to 18, offering a safe, creative space to explore feelings, share memories, and connect through activities and play.
• Carers groups: Our social work team can support carers on a one-to-one basis or through one of our 6 different carers groups, held regularly at a range of locations. This includes parent / carer coffee mornings, carers walking group and a bereaved carers group held offsite.

Our Chaplin leads a multi-faith spiritual care volunteer team, who are there to offer prayer and support to families and their loved ones.

Music and art therapy can help to express feelings and communicate issues that may be difficult or confusing, or are hard to put into words.

Working with a fully trained therapist these therapies can help to:

• Think about loss
• Explore experiences and change
• Be creative
• Improve your ability to cope
• Increase feelings of wellbeing

You don’t need to play an instrument or be good at art to take part.

We can offer family members directly involved in a patients care a range of physical therapies including massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and reiki. We also offer non-physical support through mindfulness training and relaxation techniques.

All support is tailored to your needs following an assessment and is provide by a team of registered therapists.

Our social work team support patients, carers and families across our whole service, offering social, emotional and practical support.

The team offers a wide range of advice and support including sourcing practical help at home, advice around finances, benefits and grants, help with housing, advocacy, working with schools or employers, and offering general psychosocial support.

The team work with a wide range of professionals within social services and health services to advocate for our patients.

Alongside our clinical colleagues, the team undertake work around helping people to prepare for the end of their lives through, memory making, advance care planning including creating legal documents such as Lasting Power of Attorney, Will writing and providing practical information regarding funerals and bereavement processes.

Social workers also support patients discharged from our inpatient units to go home, or to an alternative care placement, with on-going care and support, liaising with local authorities and care boards to secure the appropriate source of funding.

The team underpins safeguarding at Keech Hospice, as ensuring the health and welfare of those using our services is paramount.

Compassionate Neighbours are a network of people who offer their time, companionship, and support to people living in their local area. Compassionate Neighbours help others by:

• Offering companionship, emotional and practical support and a listening ear
• Helping you to stay connected to your friends and the community
• Directing you to important support services

Find out more