Date: 25th February
This week our People and Communications Manager, Rachel Battleday was invited to attend a conference with 22 Macmillan nurses who cover Devon and Cornwall, alongside other service providers to discuss the realities of End-Of-Life Care within homeless services.
Rachel has over 12 years’ experience with Harbour Housing, which has included working on the front line as a support worker and being involved with the palliative care that the Hospital discharge service delivers.
During this time, Rachel has been involved in supporting many individuals, both residents and individuals in the community that have been referred into our services by the hospital and other pathways.
The conference was a vital opportunity to discuss the challenges that can occur whilst acquiring End of Life Care packages, when supporting individuals with complex needs who are also experiencing homelessness. One of the main challenges in the wider community is often educating people, with the result of reducing the stigma around addiction and homelessness, to ensure that all individuals have the right to choose how they live out their final days.
A Hospice environment for an individual who is in active addition can be disruptive for both the individual, staff and patients and this can be extremely distressing for all involved. Rachel touches on the importance of all residents having the choice to die at home, whatever their sense of ‘home’ might be.
Another challenge is receiving an End-of-Life Care package that practically enables an individual the choice and the right to die at home, especially when the residents that we support, are not considered to be at home, if they are in our supported or temporary accommodation placements.
Home is a safe haven; it is a place we feel secure. Many of our residents live in supported accommodation for long periods of time, whilst waiting for appropriate social housing and building the skills to live independently. Harbour Housing provides accommodation that is to a high standard, in which it is a comfortable setting, so that residents feel that they have their own place and to them, it is the only home they know, with familiar and trusting staff around them.
Rachel spoke passionately in regard to the importance of all people, to have the right to choose and have access to the right care, when preparing for the end of their life.
Case Studies
Client A: Six years ago, a young man with a heroin addiction, living in our supported accommodation for two years, was diagnosed with End Stage Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His wish was to die at home, which for him, meant our supported accommodation. This was a huge challenge, as he was unable to receive a care package for End Of Life, as it was considered that this was not his home. This is the reality within the housing sector. Horrific for the individual and frustrating for those providing support. Harbour Housing worked with St Austell Hospice during this time, who fortunately accessed funding to pilot a person-centred and trauma-informed model, which enabled Harbour to establish experience providing End-of-Life care and ensured that the young man, spent his final days in the safety and comfort of his home.
Client B: One gentleman with Stage 4 Melanoma Skin Cancer, was discharged from the hospital, still wearing his hospital gown into a Travelodge, without any support. Fortunately, he was able to access our Hospital Discharge scheme, with a care package through our Harbour Care services, in which we were able to move him into our supported accommodation, within a couple of hours. Without the service, this gentleman would have died alone in a hotel, without any support.
These case studies show the importance of establishing our internal Care company, so that individuals with complex needs and experiencing homelessness, have the same rights to care as everyone else.
Alongside the care and support that clients receive; we are in the process of co-designing an End-of-Life planner, which provides a complete guide to individual wishes, belongings and other matters. This planner enables staff to support clients through difficult conversations concerning their wishes, messages to often estranged family and friends, recommendations for their funeral arrangements and their final words. A resource often not available.
Further reading
End Of Life – Harbour Resident
Further Support
Macmillan
9th September
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Harbour Housing recognised the generosity of one of its own colleagues through its Act of Kindness Award, celebrating the everyday
23rd June
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9th June
27th May
22nd May
