Daughter praises 'amazing' Ayrshire Hospice after dad's devastating MND battle

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Ayrshire Hospice is launching its annual Light up a Life appeal where it invites the local community across Ayrshire to remember their loved ones at what can be an emotional time of year.This year’s campaign tells the story of Julie Grant and her 80 year-old dad, Tom, who died in the In-Patient Unit in May earlier this year while receiving end-of-life care for Motor Neurone Disease.Tom, from Dreghorn, was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic and was referred to the hospice by his GP.Remaining at home initially, he would be visited by Amy, from the Hospice’s Specialist Palliative Care Team, who would spend time to understand his care requirements.

This led to involvement from the Hospice’s Occupational Therapy, respite and response and social work teams to support Tom.Julie said: “The staff are amazing, they got to know my dad – and our whole family – so quickly, showing a complete focus on what he liked, what he wanted from his care, and using their resources and expertise to make things as comfortable as possible.“Upon his admission (to the Hospice’s In-Patient Unit), so much of his anxiety about his care faded away – he hadn’t wanted to go back to hospital or into a care home and knew that there would be no better place than in the Hospice.“The Hospice team helped him make every moment count.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS