“I was first referred to St Clare Day Therapy sessions by my Cardiac Specialist Nurse. I’ve lived with a heart condition for 20 years now, and the way I’ve learnt to handle it is to do what I’m told! So when my Cardiac Specialist Nurse recommended I come along to St Clare I agreed – and now, I’m so pleased that I did.”
“Before I came to St Clare I had started to become depressed – I was completely stressed out by my whole condition, to the extent that I wasn’t sleeping or coping well at all. My breathing had become particularly bad because I had developed fluid on my lungs. My legs had swollen up to twice the normal size, due to my heart not working properly. This caused me to become depressed. I would sit and stare at a kettle for 20 minutes before I realised I hadn’t put it on. I would give up in the end and go and sit down without a drink. So part of me coming to St Clare was to help me battle my mental issues by talking to people, and getting involved in the Day Therapy which has been so beneficial to me. I now don’t get very many ‘black days’, as I call them, and I’m quite happy most of the time now – thanks to St Clare.”
“I have been coming to the Day Therapy sessions for 5 weeks now, and the team have kindly offered me a second 6 week course when this one ends.”
“I just feel comfortable at St Clare, like part of the group, and like I’ve been coming here for years. My wife reports that I am so much better and happier after I have been to St Clare on a Friday – so it obviously doing me some good. St Clare helps to remove any bad tension that I’ve built up during the week, and it’s nice to get everything off your chest.”
“There is a culture of mutual help at St Clare. By listening to other people’s stories and views it helps you to put things into perspective. You can also say things that you don’t like to say in front of your immediate family. I don’t necessarily like to moan to my wife and children, but I can say it here. Talking to people with similar problems really helps you to understand things better.”
“I do understand why people would find the thought of coming to a hospice daunting, you have to meet new people and expose yourself to others. But you just sit down and listen and before you know it, you’ve opened your big gob and you’re rambling away! You very quickly join in with the banter and silliness and become part of the group – so from that perspective, I love it. I’ve felt very comfortable here.”
“Day Therapy has definitely made me more thoughtful. When you’re by yourself you can easily get yourself into a very quick downward spiral by over-thinking – because there is no one there to stop you. But Day Therapy helps to brighten me up. St Clare is so peaceful, when I walk out of here on a Friday I feel so at peace and relaxed about everything, it just settles my mind.”
“All the staff at St Clare are very friendly and quietly, very attentive. They are very caring, and it is not for show, they genuinely care for each of us. They very quickly make the effort to get to know each of us and are always paying us attention, which is wonderful.”
“I have also been attending the Breathlessness classes at St Clare and that has been brilliant. It helped me to understand how my body works, and what causes it to not work properly at times. I got a lot out of the session and learnt techniques that were beneficial to me straight away. It has given me more confidence and I’m getting a lot out of it all the sessions.”
“Dignity is a massive thing at St Clare. It doesn’t matter who you meet, it could be the receptionist or the guy putting the bird feeders out, everyone has got a nice way with them – they are genuinely interested in everyone. I think everyone at St Clare is wonderful, and I’m getting as much as possible out of being here.”
“I love the whole holistic care that St Clare offers. Everything you could possibly need is on site, as and when you need it. I can access social workers, nurses and physiotherapists, and it’s nice to know that there are doctors on site if you needed them – all without any real appointment system and completely free of charge.”
“St Clare is a wonderful place to come and I would recommend it to anyone who needs it. Don’t be afraid to give St Clare a try. I would say to anyone who might benefit from their help – just get yourself up to St Clare and get involved.”
“And last of all, you get a great free lunch!”
– Hugh