Helping people spend their last Christmas at home

Julie White is one of the Hospice at Home nurses at Saint Francis Hospice, and has been part of the team since it started in the year 2000. With over 20 years experience of caring for people in our local community, she explains how she helps families make the most of the time they have left together at Christmas.

Being welcomed into someone’s home to help care for them when they need it most is a privilege. And never more so than at Christmas.

For some of our patients and their loved ones, this will be the last Christmas they will have together. Hospice at Home nurses like me do everything we can to make precious moments possible.

We don't mention Christmas unless the family bring it up first, as we know it’s not a time to celebrate for everyone. Sometimes we treat it as a normal day. And at other times we go the extra mile to make it special.

Whether they want to celebrate Christmas or not, many people with an illness that can’t be cured or treated choose to spend their final days at home. We help them stay at home safely, taking professional hospice care and support to where they live. Last year, we cared for 632 people in this way - more than ever before.

Saint Francis Hospice is not a place, but a way of caring. Our Hospice at Home nurses give the same standard of care we provide at our hospice, whether providing a few hours of relief for carers or more support when the moment comes.

Last year, 2,092 people in the area needed our services. We were able to provide every one of them with essential care, free of charge, because of the big-hearted generosity of our supporters. So thank you to everyone who supports us, and makes my job possible.