We understand that it can be overwhelming when you or a loved one is diagnosed with a life-limiting condition or experiencing bereavement. Our Patient & Family Support Team is here to help you through this difficult time.
Whilst our patient care is very important, the wellbeing of their families and carers is too. If they wish to keep in touch, our door is always open - during and beyond the patient’s illness.
Thanks to a generous grant from the National Lottery, we have launched Thames Hospice Co-Connect, a counselling support service service now available to people in our community, aged 18 and over, whose bereavement has been adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Find out moreYou can refer yourself to our services using our online referral form or by calling us on 01753 847300.
Our services are free of charge to all those in our community who need us, but this is only made possible through the charitable support and generosity of our community. Find out more about how you can help here.
We have a professionally trained team of paid and volunteer counsellors to help patients and their families with emotional and psychological support when adjusting to the diagnosis of a life-limiting condition. When someone has died, we provide bereavement support through individual or group sessions, arranged at a convenient time. For some, supporting a charity in memory of a loved one can be a great comfort when going through a bereavement.
For further information, please download our Counselling Support Services leaflet.
We have a pastoral care team who provide emotional, psychological and spiritual support to help patients and their families. For those people with a religious faith or a non-religious belief, the team adopts a non-denominational approach. We also have an excellent local network of faith leaders and community representatives who are able to visit patients, if requested.
We have a team dedicated to supporting children and families who are referred to us. The serious illness or death of a parent can be devastating for children and young people, and brings multiple challenges into their lives. Thanks to a grant from BBC Children in Need, we have recruited two additional support workers with specialist skills for the better support of local children and families who are approaching or experiencing bereavement.
For further advice and information about supporting young people when experiencing bereavement click here.
It can sometimes be confusing working out how to get the help one is entitled to. Our social workers are here to assist with any practical issues that arise and to liaise with voluntary and statutory agencies to support discharge from Thames Hospice. They can also suggest appropriate agencies for advice on benefits and funding for care packages.
You can find out more information about managing grief, stress and anxiety by clicking the links below.
Living with Dying is a new podcast about trying to break the taboos around death and dying. We'll all encounter death at some stage so why are we so shy of talking about it?
The podcast is hosted by Dilys Morgan, whose husband Michael Barratt was cared for at our Hospice. She says "When my husband Michael died last year I felt really lost. We'd been together 47 years and he was 19 years older than me - so I should have been prepared. But as I stumbled around trying to rebuild my life, I felt there was so much to learn, and I wished he and I had spoken about it more."
The podcast is now available to listen and subscribe to on your usual streaming platforms, or use the player to the right to catch up on the latest episodes.
Welcome to Thames Hospice. We will keep you up to date with the latest news and updates about our work and fundraising activities.
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