“You can see the relief in their eyes when they get that knock on the door…”
From the very start of this pandemic, your compassion for people dying of terminal illness, their loved ones, and frontline nurses risking their own health to care for them, has been a gift beyond all measure. Because of your solidarity and support, Michael spent his final days and nights at home, wrapped in a circle of his family’s love.
Knock, knock, knock…
…it’s the sound that sends a wave of relief rushing through the hearts of Michael’s family as they care for their terminally ill husband and father at home in his dying days. It’s the sound that means Mary, one of our dedicated Nurses for Night Care, has arrived on their doorstep with all the reassurance her presence brings.
By now, Mary and Michael’s family are old friends.
“He’d been my patient in the hospital for weeks. I got to know the family. They knew his time was coming, but he was well enough to go home. I was the one who told them about Irish Hospice Foundation’s Nurses for Night Care service.”
It was a few weeks later that Mary got the call. Michael had only days left to live, and the family remembered what Mary had told them about our Nurse for Night Care service – our free at-home night nursing service for patients suffering from non-cancer diseases.
“Families are just so appreciative. You can see the relief on their faces when they hear that knock on the door at 11pm…”
Care comes full circle. Thanks to your kind support, Mary was at Michael’s bedside the very next night.
“To have that continuity of care meant so much to them. They knew me already, and without the Covid restrictions, and hustle and bustle of the hospital, they could make the most of the time they had left with Michael,”
says Mary.
“I was with them for three nights. He died on the third night. The family were so grateful that he had such a peaceful end of life at home with them all together.”
A labour of love
It’s moments like this that have kept Mary going during these dark days of the pandemic.
“I’ve been a night nurse and I’ve worked in the hospital during Covid. It’s been tougher on the hospital side,”
says Mary.
“There were no visitors allowed. People dying alone, no family around them. A truly awful time for the families and for us nurses.”
Your kindness in motion
In the past 18 months, calls for help to our Nurses for Night Care service have soared. That’s why your solidarity with families like Michael’s, desperate to protect vulnerable loved ones, have been a true blessing.
“I’m thankful to people who’ve donated to keep this service going,”
says Mary.
“Families are relieved not to be in hospital. The peace of mind of knowing your loved one is good hands is priceless.”
For the precious hours of comfort and care you make possible, until the very end… Thank you.
One Final Wish…
Were it not for the kindness of caring hearts like yours, Michael could not have taken his final breaths at home, wrapped in a circle of his family’s love. But every precious hour of night nursing costs €40, and since the start of the pandemic, calls for help to our Nurses for Night Care have skyrocketed.
Please, will you provide for an hour or two with a Nurse for Night Care?
How You’re Helping the Hidden Heartbroken Through Hardship
They were supposed to have years before needing to worry about burial sites. But when Sorcha’s husband and the family’s main breadwinner died suddenly, her shock and grief were compounded by the worry of not being able to afford a funeral. This is how your kindness is helping lift the heaviest of weights from the shoulders of Ireland’s heartsick facing hardship…
“There’s nowhere else to turn for help with funeral costs in Ireland,”
That’s what social workers tell us when they refer grieving families to Irish Hospice Foundation’s ‘Hardship Fund’.
That’s how your kindness found its way to Sorcha when the very worst happened…
“Sorcha’s husband suffered a very short illness and died very quickly. They have two little ones. You just don’t expect that to happen. They were a young couple just starting their lives together. It’s so sad.”
says Marie, who manages the fund.
The grant, capped at €500, lightens the load for families like Sorcha’s when faced with unexpected funeral costs.
“People are dealing with job losses as well. We’d granted 60% of the fund by April.”
At a time when so many families are facing hardship amid grief, your compassion and concern are cherished. Thank you for your caring heart.
Your Love, Everlasting
Once they’ve taken care of family, some of our most caring supporters — thoughtful people like you — choose to leave a gift in their will to Irish Hospice Foundation. Valerie has included a gift in memory of her loved and lost…
“My mum and dad and husband have passed away. I think of them when I give to charities that are dear to me. It’s so important to make a will, and it costs you nothing to add a charity close to your heart. I’m happy to know there will be money left for Irish Hospice Foundation, that I will make a difference to someone.”
By choosing to leave 1% of your estate, you can care for your loved ones and remember a charity close to your heart. To receive more information, just email Clare Martin: [email protected]
Your Gift of a Listening Ear for Another Precious Year
When we asked for your help to safeguard our National Bereavement Support Line for another year, your caring heart answered…
You’ll remember Ted. We wrote to you about him a few months ago. His heart was broken when he lost his wife at the very start of the pandemic. He was one of the very first people to call our National Bereavement Support Line.
“I phoned for the ambulance, my wife was taken away, and I never saw her again,”
he told us through tears.
As someone who knows how it feels to lose someone you love with your whole heart, you understand how Ted, and the almost 2,000 others who have turned to us since the start of this pandemic, are feeling right now. Without your generosity, the cries of broken hearts like Ted’s would go unanswered. But because you choose to give, the National Bereavement Support line is safeguarded for another precious year.
When the next person dials our number in despair, a caring voice will be there to answer. Thank you for your compassion. You are the heart and soul of all we do here.
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