In this article, Nichola Child, Clinical Lead for Partnership Working, describes how The Norfolk Hospice plans to use our My Future Care training and Handbooks to encourage conversations about living well and dying well.
Let’s see what she has to say:
What support does The Norfolk Hospice provide, Nichola?
We are a small independent charity supporting people with serious and long-term illnesses to live as well as possible for as long as possible, prepare for and die with compassion and support, and provide support to their loved ones after their death.
Our support can begin as early as diagnosis, with access to our outpatient rehabilitative therapy unit, or as late as the final days, through our inpatient unit or hospice at home services. We encourage early engagement with the hospice to manage symptoms, learn self-management techniques, improve physical and mental wellbeing, set realistic future goals, and plan for future care needs. However, many still believe a hospice is only for end-of-life care.
We have recently adopted a more compassionate communities approach, which I have been developing. This includes challenging myths and taboos about death and dying and promoting conversations about living well and dying well. This involves developing teaching resources to increase understanding and knowledge about planning ahead among the wider population.
What are your plans for offering later-life planning support?
I have developed a two-hour information workshop for the public. Anyone can attend, though it is especially urgent for those with deteriorating health or in later life. During the session, the My Future Care Handbook is recommended for recording wishes. For those needing additional help, I plan to offer one-on-one support using a coaching approach to empower individuals to take responsibility for their own planning. I will facilitate discussions on key areas and encourage them to work on these independently.
To achieve this, I am building a team of volunteers keen to provide this support. Three volunteers are now booked onto the My Future Care training. It is still early days, and we haven’t put it into practice yet.
What kinds of needs, and challenges do you expect the people you support will face when making their plans?
As most people we will support have deteriorating conditions, the emotional impact is likely to be significant. Conversations can be abstract when healthy but become more urgent and impactful when time is short. While this urgency can provide peace of mind and a sense of completion, we must be mindful of its emotional effect.
Another challenge is ensuring people feel empowered to take control of their planning. Many are used to healthcare decisions being made for them and might find it overwhelming to start, allowing other priorities to take precedence.
How do you hope the My Future Care community will help you address these needs and challenges?
I hope to learn from others about handling difficult conversations and managing potential distress. Tips on coaching techniques and overcoming procrastination will be invaluable. The Handbook’s manageable chapters will guide these conversations effectively.
Feeling motivated by Nichola’s insights? Would you like to upskill yourself or people in your group to support people in making plans for later and future care?
Take advantage of our free training and ongoing support programme. Our online training will equip your team to help the people you work with make an action plan and see it through, using the My Future Care Handbook as a source of information and structure for the conversation. Handbooks are available free in certain areas (thanks to area-specific funding), otherwise bulk prices are available.
