GROVE House is a hospice with a difference – an emphasis on living is central to the care and support provided.

As part of the service available to local people living with serious illness, Grove House operates a Day Hospice, where patients with cancer or other life threatening illness, can receive support from point of diagnosis and throughout illness. Many patients come for one day a week for a number of weeks and can then be discharged to live independently at home.

Nursing services manager, Joan Follett explained: “The Day Hospice is a positive and active place. Our trained nurses help with pain and symptom management as well as providing much needed emotional support. Although it is in a group setting and people benefit very much from peer support, everyone receives an individual programme of care in a warm, friendly environment.”

Joan continued: “Our professional skilled team endeavour to assist patients to maintain independence and develop coping strategies and many are ready to leave us to return to independent living after a few weeks. The Grove House philosophy places the emphasis very much on living life and it truly is about the person and their needs – not their disease.”

Friendly

Derek Moulder of St Albans was recently a patient in the Day Hospice. Derek ran a local post office in St Albans for over 35 years where he loved seeing and chatting to his regular customers and always had friendly smile for everyone.

Derek explained how coming to the Grove House Day Hospice made a positive difference to his life. “It’s funny to think now that I really didn’t want to come to Grove House, it took me a few weeks to pluck up the courage to pick up the phone, I really thought this was a place for dying people! I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Derek continued: “I reacted badly to my treatment, I really didn’t realise just how ill I was, I’d gone into a shell and didn’t want to leave the house. Coming here to Grove House was one of the best things I could have done. It was great meeting so many different people, each with their own experiences. Grove House put me back on track and I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel – I’d come here every day if I could.”

Day Hospice is available to anyone in St Albans, Harpenden or Hemel Hempstead over the age of 18 with a diagnosis of cancer or other life-threatening illness. For further information contact the Grove House Information line 01727 843401 or visit the website www.grove-house.org.uk