Our Hampton hospice delivering for families
Living with a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting condition is extremely demanding, both mentally and physically. This is why our Hampton hospice is dedicated to offering a comprehensive range of therapies and specialist clinics for the whole family.
Whilst continuing to provide our therapies services virtually where needed, we’ve been able to increase our outreach services at Shooting Star House, for supported and bereaved families.
These services help children, parents, siblings, as well as the wider family, cope with and manage stress, setting the hospice apart from conventional medical settings.
From increasing the number of siblings’ groups – where brothers and sisters can come and play together – to offering our new weekly music therapy group, Saturday ‘drop-ins’, counselling, complementary therapies, drama, art, music therapy and family support sessions – our Hampton hospice is buzzing with activity.
We’ve also launched a new online family Support Hub, which puts the services we offer at Hampton and Christopher’s in Guilford into the hands of families. With a few clicks, families can book a session an arts and crafts session for their children, or to simply catch up with other families in a safe and welcome environment.
Sarah Hodkinson, Head of Family Support Services said, “During COVID-19 we have seen clinical symptoms of anxiety explode across supported children, their brothers, and sisters and parents. From the youngest to the adult members of families, there is immense fear about being infected with COVID-19 and the threat this can pose to a supported child. The demand for emotional support has increased. Our Hampton hospice has been a haven for so many families. I could never have predicted how important it would be for families to have somewhere that feels quiet and safe, where despite social-distancing and PPE, therapy is powerful and effective.
“Families asked for carefully crafted, safe, small events that would enable them to meet other families. So often parents tell us they haven’t left their homes to go anywhere else, but they count the support services we’re offering as urgent and essential, and they feel safe at the hospice. By listening closely to the voices of the families we support, we have been able to continually shape and tailor our Hampton hospice to help families with the support they need now.”
This article is from our Summer 2022 edition of Shine. Read more from the digital version here. If you’d like to receive our printed Shine magazine, which comes out twice a year, these are sent to everyone who has made a donation within the last 12 months, and opted in to receiving post.
