Sue’s Journey: Family, Friends, and the Hospice That Felt Like Home

Sue was a mum, Granny (Nee Nee), sister, mother-in-law and friend. She was a proud dog mum to Treacle and they loved their trips down to Dorset to walk along the Studland Bay beach.

Sue was caring, loving and always willing to help those closest to her and help fix problems for others, whether that was fixing a plug or just listening to a friend offload their problems and worries.

Sue never put herself first and as a family we are honoured to have had such an amazing woman in our lives.

Sue had previously worked as a Care Assistant at the hospice. She was proud to have worked at Beaumond House and help people and their families make the most of the palliative and end of life care services available. She loved the team she worked with and stayed in touch with many of them even after she left.

Sue had been diagnosed with MND at the end of July this year after struggling with speech and swallowing since January. After she was diagnosed with MND the NHS arranged for a tube feeding procedure which was scheduled for mid August. She’d been in touch with Louise and it was hoped she would transfer to Beaumond House for respite after the procedure.

Unfortunately, Sue’s breathing wasn’t stable enough to go through with the procedure Sue decided this was not how she wanted her remaining time to be and asked for the medical intervention to be stopped. Sue made the decision that if she couldn’t go home then she wanted to go to Beaumond House if there was a room available.

As a family we weren’t sure what to expect at first, but we knew how important it was for Sue to spend her last days under the care of the Beaumond House team.

From the minute Sue arrived the hospice everything felt peaceful and welcoming and this never stopped throughout the time we all spent there. As soon as Steve, Sue’s son, told his mum they’d pulled through the entrance, Sue became more settled.

Sue was more at peace and happy from the minute she arrived until her final breaths were taken. The care she received from everyone was exceptional and she enjoyed massages, personal care, meditation and music (Bryan Adams in particular was played – he was one of her favourites). She even enjoyed a few sips of cider one evening.

The support of Beaumond House made Sue’s passing so much easier for her and for us as the care she received was amazing. This meant we, Sue’s family and friends, could enjoy time with her until she passed.

We didn’t have to think about what happened next as the team supported us as much as they did Sue. We could be there 24/7 if we wanted to and Sue’s sons, Steve and Jon did stay over and sleep next to her one night as we didn’t think she’d make it through the night (but she did).

Having access to the kitchen meant we could make endless cups of tea and have somewhere to sit whilst Sue had personal care. The lovely catering team made us huge sandwich platters and cake plates so that we could stay by Sue’s bedside. The team would speak to us about any concerns we had and explain what was happening.

Beaumond House didn’t feel like a medical cold environment, it was almost like being home.

There was no rush for us to leave Sue’s room when she had taken her final breaths, and we could spend time with her before they washed and dressed her and prepared her for the funeral directors.

Even after Sue had passed, the team reached out to the family to check how we all were.

As a family, we know the team at the hospice are there should we need anything.

We can’t express how grateful we are for Beaumond House looking after Sue and supporting us at such a difficult and sad time.

By Carrie, on behalf of Sue’s family