Wrexham Hospice helps tackle loneliness and isolation for patients.

Loneliness affects many people in our society, and it is sometimes exacerbated for those who have a life limiting illness – Nightingale House offers an environment for people to interact with others going through similar circumstances.

The hospice has relaunched and rebranded its Day Services Unit to the Nightingale Wellbeing Centre ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

A former nurse Beatrice Williams talks about her struggles and how isolating living with a life-limiting condition can be, “You worry about how the situation affects your loved ones. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of the house, I get breathless easily because of my condition, which means I can’t go far. Seeing your friends is much harder, and you lose your confidence.”

After attending the Nightingale Wellbeing Centre, Beatrice said, “Coming to the hospice, you get help and advice from the staff and volunteers. But one of the biggest things is being around other patients… You get help from each other, which restores you. Your then not as shy, you feel more sociable, and it makes you feel good to be around other people.”

“The different sessions in the Wellbeing Programme were like little pieces of a jigsaw that came together and really helped build my confidence again.”

Every patient with a life-limiting illness is affected differently, so having a charity to turn to that understands their struggles can help them feel at ease.

Beatrice continued, “In one of the group physio sessions, they helped me understand that sometimes you might need extra support from things such as a walking aid. However, that gives you the confidence to go a bit further. After the talk, I felt more courageous. Now I can walk twice as long without stopping. This taught me that sometimes you must step back to move forward.”

When asked what she enjoyed about coming to the hospice, Beatrice explained, “I like the warm feeling you get when you walk into Nightingale House; it’s like the whole community is looking after us. The hospice is a comforting place where you can be with other people in a similar situation, you feel together, like a community, and it makes a big difference!”