Pay for a Day Help support people at the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh by paying for 24 hours of care on a day of your choice.
Every day matters The Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh is here for people living with any terminal illness and their families. For more than 45 years, we ve been helping people in the Lothians living with a terminal illness. And yet every single day at the hospice is an extraordinary day. Some of the people we care for come in to the hospice while others are supported by our community services. The hospice works closely with local hospitals as well as GP practices and other healthcare organisations to support people in Edinburgh and the Lothians. We listen, support and give high quality care to people and their families during what can be a difficult, challenging and distressing time. We get to know people as individuals, focusing on the special things that bring them joy. Why pay for a day? Our hospice cares for more than 1,000 people living with a terminal illness, and their families, every year. We are able to do this thanks to our fantastic supporters, including the individuals and organisations that choose to pay for a day. You might want to recognise an important birthday or anniversary. Celebrate the memory of a relative or friend. Or mark a significant company or organisational milestone. Whatever your reason, we re very grateful for your support, so thank you. It will help us give high quality care and support to people in your local community. 2 Marie Curie / Pay for a Day
How we ll mark your special day We know that the day you choose will be special and meaningful to you. It will also make a real difference to people living with a terminal illness and their families. So we ll mark it in several ways. Your certificate We ll create a personalised keepsake certificate, and, if you d like, we can display it in the hospice reception on your chosen day. Your profile on our website If you d like us to share your story with our supporters, then we will feature it on the hospice webpages. We can also publish your name or the name of your organisation on the hospice homepage on the day you ve chosen to pay for. And we can use social media to further publicise your support. We ll welcome you to the hospice The best way we can say thank you, though, is to invite you to visit the hospice. You ll meet some of our team and be able to see the help, compassion and care we re providing to people with a terminal illness and their families, thanks to your support. Marie Curie / Pay for a Day 3
A day in the life of the hospice 7.45am: Our nurses arrive for the morning shift, the first of two shifts a day. The night nurses hand over to them, detail each patient s care and give an update on their condition. Our catering and domestic staff also start to prepare for the day ahead. 8am: Patients staying at the hospice have breakfast in their rooms, with choices from cereal and toast to a cooked breakfast. Nurses then make their rounds and give people their regular medication. Nurses and healthcare assistants help patients to wash and get dressed. The care Gaven received while in the hospice was very supportive. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff - they made him feel safe and cared for. Lesley, whose husband Gaven was cared for at the hospice 9am: The multi-disciplinary team arrives. This team includes doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers, the patient and family support team and a specialist pharmacist. The team visits each patient to find out how they are, talk to their families and discuss their individual treatment and needs. The team works closely with patients and families and liaises with family support workers and the hospice chaplain to ensure patients emotional and spiritual needs are being met. 4 Marie Curie / Pay for a Day 10am: People start arriving for day services including medical appointments, clinics, exercise, physiotherapy and complementary therapies. Our day services team provide support for patients, family and carers. Some people may visit just for their appointment, others will stay the whole day in the hospice and make use of a wide range of social activities and complementary therapies, including massage, reiki and reflexology we even have a hairdressing salon.
12.30pm: Patients have lunch in their rooms. The catering staff see each person on admission to discuss their preferences or special requirements with them. Visitors can order meals from the reception area. 2pm: After lunch, there s another medication round and patients may receive complementary therapies. We have beautiful gardens where people can get some fresh air, and lounges for people to meet with their families away from their bedside. We have volunteer pet therapists who visit weekly. A specialist counsellor at the hospice helps children and families to understand and cope with bereavement. 4pm: From Monday to Friday, our volunteer receptionists arrive to manage the reception desk. These volunteers meet and greet visiting relatives, and assist with all enquiries from staff, patients and visitors. The Edinburgh Hospice is supported by more than 100 volunteers, whose roles range from drivers to volunteer hairdressers. 4.45pm: The hospice staff serve the evening meal, which is freshly cooked on the premises by the catering team. Most of the nursing staff work a 12-hour shift, so they remain on duty until 8pm, when they handover to the night nursing staff, providing a detailed update on each patient s condition and care. 9.30pm: Most patients begin settling down for the night. Nurses administer medication and make people as comfortable as possible, monitoring or staying with them through the night. If a patient wants to stay up all night, they can. Relatives can visit their loved ones any time of the day or night and can stay overnight. At the hospice, everyone had as much time for us as we needed. I cannot fault the care my sister received. Fiona, whose sister Catriona was cared for at the hospice Marie Curie / Pay for a Day 5
Why I am paying for a day Neil Fitzsimmons Lorna and I had been together for nearly 30 wonderful years. We were looking forward to spending more time together in our retirements. It was not to be, though, as in July 2014, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Lorna faced the challenge of her illness with great courage and bravery despite, I think, always realising the inevitability of the outcome. We cared for each other through her illness for nearly six months. We each kept positive for each other but eventually, as the tumour progressed, Lorna needed professional care. In early January 2015, after a short time in hospital, Lorna was transferred to the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh. Many friends and family members visited Lorna during the final few days of her life at the hospice. There was universal praise for the specialist facilities and remarkable care Marie Curie provided: they didn t just look after Lorna but made everybody else feel cared for as well. It was a great tragedy for me and the rest of Lorna s family to lose her, but the saving grace was that, thanks to the highly skilled Marie Curie team, she did not suffer undue pain. She was allowed to pass away in peace in her sleep. Lorna s family, her many friends, and most of all I, will always be grateful to Marie Curie for caring for Lorna in the last weeks of her life and ensuring she was comfortable right up to the end. This is why we are paying for a day so that others will be able to have that same experience in what are such difficult circumstances. Thank you for always to the Marie Curie team. How to pay for a day There are many ways to pay for a day. You could make a one-off donation. Get your staff involved in fundraising. Or raise the funds through a sponsored cycle, run or other personal challenge. We ve got lots of advice and information to help. You could: Click on the raising funds section at mariecurie.org.uk/edinburgh Get inspired by our fundraising ideas at mariecurie.org.uk/myway Contact Fiona Bushby, Community Fundraiser, for information and advice on 0131 470 2290 or fiona.bushby@mariecurie.org.uk Without the incredible support from people like you, we would not be able to help the many families across Edinburgh who need us. So thank you very much. 6 Marie Curie / Pay for a Day
Paying for a day It costs 6,175* every day to cover the hospice s running costs. If you would like to pledge your support, please complete the form below. I / we would like to Pay for a Day at the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh. I / we are delighted to enclose a contribution of 6,175* I / we would like to confirm our intention to fundraise for Pay for a Day in the future. My / our preferred day would be: D D M M Y Y Y Y Your details Title: Surname: Home address: First name: Organisation name (if applicable): Telephone number: Email address: Postcode: Please return this form to: Fiona Bushby, Community Fundraiser Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh Frogston Road West, Edinburgh EH10 7DR We would like to keep you up to date about our work, fundraising activities and ways to get involved please tell us how you are happy to hear from us: Yes please, I d like to hear from you by email Yes please, I d like to hear from you by text message or MMS No thanks, please don t contact me by post No thanks, please don t contact me by telephone You can update your preferences, including how often you hear from us at any time by calling us on 0800 716 146 or emailing supporter.relations@mariecurie.org.uk We will not sell or swap your details with other charities or third parties. We will keep your details safe and will only use them in accordance with our privacy policy mariecurie.org.uk/privacy Gift Aid increases your donation by 25p for every 1 you donate Gift Aid is reclaimed by Marie Curie from the tax you pay for the current tax year. Your address is needed to identify you as a current UK taxpayer. In order to claim Gift Aid you must tick the box below. I want to Gift Aid my donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past four years to Marie Curie. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in the current tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Date: D D M M Y Y Y Y Please let us know if you: want to cancel the declaration change your name and address no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains Or you can contact Fiona on 0131 470 2290 or email fiona.bushby@mariecurie.org.uk * 6,175 is the cost of paying for a day in the year ending March 2014. This is the amount it costs Marie Curie to run the hospice after NHS contributions have been taken into account. Please note the exact cost in future years may change and you will be informed of the amount before confirming your generous support. Marie Curie / Pay for a Day 7
Your special day becomes ours. Pay for a Day at the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh. Marie Curie Hospices offer the reassurance of specialist care and support, in a friendly, welcoming environment, for people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones whether you re staying in the hospice, or just coming in for the day. We re here for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support to help them get the most from the time they have left. mariecurie.org.uk Charity reg no. 207994 (England & Wales), SC038731 (Scotland) A088 All photos: Kieran Dodds/Marie Curie