If you’d asked me a few years ago what the difference between a hospice, a care home and a hospital was I may have been able to state some rudimentary points but in truth they all swirled together in a similar pot!
So being able to work with these organisations, and learning the individual roles they each play in end of life care, their local communities and life limiting illnesses has been an eye opener. If like me, you’d like to learn more about each of these organisations and what they do then visit our blog on the differences we’ve discovered between hospices, care homes and hospitals. As a society, we don’t talk about these differences often enough - and this can lead to confusion and miscommunication when it comes to people’s wishes.
Hospices are not morbid places - they are full of passionate, fun, happy people who want to make a difference to each person they come across. Garden House Hospice in Hertfordshire is a showcase of this, from their volunteer reception staff and throughout, everyone we met was welcoming, smiling and most importantly communicative. In particular our guide Harry was bubbly and compassionate about his role. It’s heartening to see that hard-working, empathetic people, like the staff at Garden House Hospice, are dedicating their careers to ensuring people’s final moments are as comfortable and as positive as possible.
One of things we loved about Garden house is that they are a part of the ‘hello my name is’ movement, encouraging compassionate care and creating a personal and friendly environment for their communities.
The hospice itself is lovely place, with art lining the well-kept hallways and a garden popping with colour that wraps around the building. In the spirit of Halloween (we visited just before), it even featured its own home-grown giant pumpkin! That the Hospice carved with the children from a local school.
Take a look at the video below to learn more about hospice care and what Garden House can offer:
