A HINDLEY hospice is campaigning to create an inpatient unit.
Wigan and Leigh Hospice hopes the Counting on Care appeal will raise at least £60,000 to help it help it modernise its 17-year-old inpatient unit and make it dementia-friendly.
Designs are being drawn up for a refurbishment with designs to make the inpatient unit a more comfortable and soothing place for patients and their visitors who suffer from dementia.
Hospice chief executive Dr Alan Baron said: “While our inpatient unit staff continue to provide excellent care, the unit itself is 17 years old and is in need of modernisation.
“At the same time we are seeing a steadily increasing number of patients with both dementia and another life-limiting illness but at present the inpatient unit simply is not designed to cater for those kinds of needs.
“Adaptations need to be made which will help people with dementia orientate themselves to their surroundings and navigate their way around so that this is a therapeutic and restful environment for all our patients and visitors for many years to come.”
Before final designs are agreed on, the hospice will consult with people members of the local community who have experience in assisting people with dementia. Improvements are likely to include colour-coded areas and signage, improved lighting and new flooring.
Patients with cognitive illnesses such as dementia can become confused and unnerved in unfamiliar surroundings and may find it difficult to navigate areas where there is a variety of visual stimulation, such as patterned wallpaper or lots of signage.
They may have difficulty seeing objects such as handrails or doors if these are the same colour as the background and avoid stepping on stripes in flooring as they may look like a change in level.
Clare Waller, the inpatient unit manager, said: “The inpatient unit will look very different from what we have now but will provide a calm, comfortable place for all our patients and visitors for years to come.”
The hospice is asking people to help in a number of ways including holding Meet and Eats, taking part in the Big Give or joining the hospice’s weekly lottery.
n For more fundraising ideas or to donate, call the fundraising team on 01942 525566 or visit the website wlh.org.uk
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