Referrals to Beacon View Wellbeing Centre can be made by any healthcare professional.
For more information about our eligibility criteria, please Click here
The services, which complement the medical care at the Hospice, include:
- Counselling
- Bereavement Counselling
- Befriender Service - Carer’s Support
- Welfare
- Complementary Therapy
- Spiritual Care
All our services are free to Hospice patients, their families and friends.
What does the Counselling Service offer?
At St Peter & St James we know how serious illness can affect a patient and their family and friends. Different emotions like shock, sadness, fear, frustration, anger and depression are commonly experienced. Sometimes, families find it hard to talk about such strong emotions and want to protect those close to them from becoming upset.
Our experienced team of counsellors offer time and attention to help those affected adjust to what has happened, support key relationships, make important decisions and find meaning at this very difficult time. Individual counselling is offered, but where needed a ‘family’ may meet together with a counsellor to enable the patients’ ‘team’ to function as well as it can during a stressful time.
We also offer patients the opportunity to meet in a facilitated patient support group (1.5 hours per week for six weeks) to give and receive support. Research shows that some patients benefit greatly from sharing their experience with others in a similar position.
Why might I want to use the Bereavement Service?
Everyone deals with bereavement differently and we aim to continue to support families and friends of our patients following the death of someone close. We can support you to help cope with your bereavement in the best way possible and to take care of yourself over the weeks and months that follow. We can also guide you in supporting a child or young person to help them understand what they are feeling.
Occasionally, we offer a series of family sessions (four meetings over four weeks). Bereaved children are invited to join our team with a parent or a trusted adult, to take part in a series of activities that can help them understand how they feel and cope with coming to terms with losing someone important in their lives. The adults meet in a facilitated group to talk about any issues they may face.
What is the Befriender Service for Carers?
Looking after someone you care about over a period of time can be isolating and exhausting. We recognise the valuable work that carers do and offer our support to reduce feelings of isolation or exhaustion and enable carers to do some of the ordinary practical tasks outside of the home or to stay in touch with friends and social events.
We do this by providing a:
- Visiting Service
Whilst you take a break, a trained hospice befriender will sit with your partner, family member or friend for up to three hours either in your home or on the ward. - Telephone Service
By arrangement, we can telephone you weekly or fortnightly for as long as you need, to find out how you are and deal with any issues that may be worrying you. - Walk and Talk
Join other carers for a healthy walk and a chat in the Sussex countryside, sharing experiences with other carers who really understand. Different walks are available depending on your fitness and mobility. Some of them take place at the beautiful Sheffield Park. - Carers Days
These offer carers an opportunity to get to know the hospice services, talk to others in a similar situation, and ask common questions about carers’ support, finances and other practical issues.
Can the Welfare Service help me?
Our welfare staff can advise on a range of complex practical or financial problems that can arise at this stressful time. You may be able to claim one or more of the benefits that are available depending on your circumstances.
They can also advise on making a Will, local care agencies and other support at home, bereavement benefits, funeral expenses or help with other specific financial costs for those in receipt of benefit. This is a confidential service.
What are Complementary Therapies? (A Service for Patients Only)
Our team of trained therapists offer several treatments for our patients. The team members have experience of treating people with serious illness. Therapies include - massages, aromatherapy massage, hand and foot massage, reflexology and relaxation. Patients can choose which one might be helpful to them.
Therapies are offered to patients on the ward in day care and to patients who can attend one of the complementary therapy clinics at the hospice. Our small home visiting service offers therapies to a few patients who are too unwell to travel.
Patients have said that following a treatment they have slept better, felt more relaxed, have had an easing of aches and pains, felt more energetic and have had fewer headaches. Overall, we hope that patients are helped by these treatments, to cope with any medical treatment they may be receiving.
What is Spiritual Care?
Our spiritual care team can help you to find meaning, direction and purpose at this time of life. Spirituality will mean different things to each of us; for some this may be expressed through religion, faith or the way you lead your life. For others, questions may arise about life and death and you may wish to talk about these with a member of our team of Chaplains.
Our aim, whatever your circumstances, is to help you to achieve a sense of peace and understanding that is right for you.
Our team also runs a Communion Service on Thursday mornings for patients and their families who are either attending day – hospice or who staying on the ward. Once a month relatives who have lost someone close to them who were cared for by the hospice, are invited to a Remembrance Event. A Lights of Love service is also held annually.
An experienced Buddhist volunteer offers individual and group meditation sessions for patients and relatives at the hospice. We can occasionally offer these in a patient’s home. Patients have reported learning how to meditate has been beneficial in helping them to relax, feel less anxious and find some peace at a difficult time.
Our Reflective Garden set in the grounds of the hospice is for anyone to sit and enjoy the peaceful space it offers. (This garden was donated by Plumpton College.)
