Osteopath Adam Hill was taken seriously ill last October and died just a few weeks later at his home in Penrith.
Thanks to Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland, he was able to spend his last days in familiar surroundings, with his wife Charlotte and daughters Amy and Dora by his side.
Adam, who was aged 61, ran the Brunswick Clinic, in Penrith, where he treated hundreds of patients over 30-plus years.
When he became ill with what later turned out to be lung cancer, he was admitted to the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, and spent four weeks on a hospital ward, during which time he suffered a number of strokes.
Charlotte recalled: “Because of COVID, visiting was extremely difficult at first. Later, as Adam’s condition worsened, we were allowed to visit more. His ability to communicate was by then very limited, but he clearly said more than once that he wanted to “go home”.
“I didn’t really understand then what difference being at home would make for Adam, or for us.
“When he came home, although Adam was not speaking by then, everyone relaxed. Our shoulders just went down, we breathed a sigh of relief, and we understood how important it was to have him home.
For the next five days, Adam was cared for by his family during the day and each night a Hospice at Home nurse came to the house and watched over him, keeping him comfortable and cared for so that Charlotte and the girls were able to rest.
“We could sleep knowing that Adam was in safe hands and that someone would come and get us if anything changed.
“The hospice nurses’ skill and experience shone through. Adam was treated with respect and dignity throughout,” said Charlotte.
“You need sleep to be able to function properly and to be able to properly care for Adam and each other. Having the hospice nurses there made his last days gentle, for him and for us.
“The small world that we inhabited during those five days was enriched by their presence. They cared not just for Adam, but for the wider family.”
With the practical care in the hands of hospice nurses, alongside the district nurses and Beacon Homecare, Charlotte, Amy and Dora were able to spend time just being with Adam in the home which held so many shared memories.
“The girls read to him, we listened to music and had conversations around him. His brothers and sisters were able to visit. After a month in the hospital, he was back in our lives again, it was wonderful to have him home.”
Hospice at Home is very much a Cumbrian charity, and at least one of the team looking after Adam was known to him personally.
He had been for many years a supporter of Hospice at Home, with a collection box for the charity in his clinic.
“The transition between hospital and home was seamless and totally integrated. The service that the hospice provided was totally professional,” said Charlotte.
“You know you are in safe hands. The nurse was even able to certify Adam’s death and she stayed with us and continued to support us that morning.”
“Having Adam at home meant everything to all of us, and Hospice at Home was part of a team which enabled that to happen.”
The Hills’ relationship with Hospice at Home did not end with Adam’s death.
Staff from the charity continued to “check in” on Charlotte by telephone and, after two months had passed, she asked for support through the counselling service.
“I got in touch with them to ask about counselling,” she said. “What happened to Adam was so sudden, I had no time to process what I was feeling.
“They put me in touch with a counsellor and we had regular phone calls over a couple of months. I felt at ease with her and it was somewhere I could focus on the loss of Adam and how I was feeling and how it had affected me. It was incredibly helpful.”
Like many families, after Adam’s death Charlotte and the girls asked for monetary donations to be made in his memory to Hospice at Home.
However, they are only too aware of the limitations on fundraising for many charities during the coronavirus pandemic, and that is why they are giving their backing to the Herald’s campaign to raise £10,000 for the charity to continue its vital work.
Summing up her experience of Hospice at Home, Charlotte said: “It felt as if somebody out there was watching out for us, and watching over us in the whirlwind of loss. We were adrift, and it felt as if there was somebody to catch us.”
We have launched a £10,000 appeal for Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland. So far, we’ve raised over £8,000 and we need you to help us reach our target.
It doesn’t matter how much you can give – anything you can afford to donate will help us hit our target.
To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/northlakeshospiceappeal here
