When James was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called a chordoma, he was determined to share his experience with others in a similar position, so began to write a book entitled Dancing With Dolores. ‍We sat down with James’s nieces and nephew to discuss who James was, who Dolores was and what the Hospice meant to them.

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds. To mark this year's, World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month we wanted to see how our Hospice cares for those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s.‍ Peter Hume, our Hospice Day Care Unit Deputy Manager, tells us more.

At St John’s Hospice we take great pride in the essential palliative care we deliver to our patients – but we don’t often get a chance to stop and recognise all the things that make our Hospice so special. ‍

The impact of COVID-19 is being felt across the charity sector, and unfortunately, St John’s Hospice is no different. Following the pandemic, admissions to our Inpatient Unit are up by over 20% in the first half of the year, yet our fundraising is projected to be down by £1.3 million this year. We need your support to fund our essential, free palliative care.

In 2019 our Hospice@Home team delivered 19,432 hours of care to 120 patients. But what is Hospice@Home? And how has it worked during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic? We chat to Hospice@Home Coordinator Jean Kelly.

‍Asha was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the civil war. After escaping and starting a new life for her children in Tanzania, Asha travelled to England to find work. After a lifetime of taking care of others, Asha came to our Hospice in 2014 with a life-limiting illness.

Grief Kid is an illustrator who expresses the difficult emotions of bereavement through art. Having seen two relatives pass away while in the care of our Hospice, Grief Kid knows the importance of listening, being heard and having a holistic approach towards dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Our Reiki Therapist Julia has been working for the Hospice for nearly 20 years and was the person responsible for introducing the practice to our Hospice. Julia tells us the benefits of what a complementary therapy such as Reiki can have for our patients.

For more than 30 years our Inpatient Unit has served the population of 7 London boroughs and embraced those who are living with and dying from terminal illness. Now it is time for an upgrade to ensure that our facilities can keep up with the changing and complex needs of our patients.