Bringing care home: Vital appeal launched to support local people with end-of-life care at home

Last year, the specialist palliative and bereavement support provider made more than 6,000 visits to patients and their families in the place they call home, offering expert care and emotional support to people when they need it most. 

This is at a time when research shows that, while many people with a life limiting illness wish to be cared for at home, most will receive end of life care in hospital*. With the support of Compton Care, 97% of its patients avoided a hospital admission and 98% died where they wished to be.

This includes Joe, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and received support from Compton Care. Joe’s wish was to stay at home, surrounding by her loved ones. To mark Joe’s 45th birthday, her mother, Sandra, is bravely supporting the Bringing Care Home Appeal and raising awareness of the care Joe, and the whole family, received.

Talking poignantly about the loss of her daughter, Sandra reflected: “Having Compton Care by our side meant we didn’t feel alone. It felt like someone had always got our back. Joe’s youngest daughter, Iris, turned six the day before Joe died. Joe was determined to make that birthday special, and with Compton’s help, she did. That support at the end of Joe’s life allowed her to stay at home, where she wanted to be.

“Compton continue to support me and the whole family through this challenging time. The team have been there for Joe’s children to help them cope with losing their mum, and the ongoing support I have received has carried me through some of my darkest moments.

“On April 7, Joe would have celebrated her 45th birthday. In her memory, I’m asking you to donate to Compton Care so they can continue to support families like mine. Every donation makes a difference.”

Clare Elwell, Fundraising Manager at Compton Care, added: “Compton Care provides specialist, compassionate care not only on our Inpatient Unit but also at home, ensuring people can be cared for wherever they feel most comfortable. 

“We are so grateful to Sandra for sharing her daughter, Joe’s story, and helping to raise awareness of the enormous difference Compton’s care can make to people with a terminal illness at home. But we cannot provide these vital services without the continued support of the community. 

"Whether it is a visit from one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists, bereavement support for children who have lost a loved one or giving someone the chance to spend their final moments at home surrounded by love, every donation to our Bringing Care Home Appeal will help Compton to reach more families, whenever and wherever they need us.”

Compton Care’s community teams provide holistic support at home to patients, who may be experiencing physical, emotional or spiritual needs associated with their illness including expert medical care, emotional support and bereavement services, which extends beyond the patient to loved ones too.

For more than 40 years, Compton has been supporting people in Wolverhampton, the Black Country, South Staffordshire and east Shropshire – every donation, no matter the size helps. £30 could help fund a one-hour Bereavement Support session for a grieving loved one or £52 could contribute towards a one-hour home visit from one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists.

To read Sandra’s full story and support Compton Care’s Bringing Care Home Appeal, please visit: comptoncare.org.uk/Home

*Research from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Economics Unit, commissioned by Marie Curie.