Hospice launches new ‘Living Memories’ Hub Sessions

A new ‘Living Memories’ hub drop-in session has recently launched at the hospice to provide an opportunity for people with a terminal illness to explore their life, capture their life stories and create keepsakes to pass on to loved ones following their death.

This additional support for local people at end of life is a space to reflect and capture precious memories that wish to be preserved.  The weekly session is provided completely free of charge as part of the Hub services offered by the hospice.

Each week attendees can expect a mix of activities including practical advice, creative activities to capture memories together and sessions about mindfulness and relaxation techniques.

The new Living Memories Hub sessions take place every Tuesday 10:00am-12:00pm in Magnolia Place, Heart of Kent Hospice. Anyone interested is encouraged to pop along to any of the sessions to find out more, no need to book just drop-in and join in. 

At the first session, patients and carers considered how they might write letters to loved ones, containing precious thoughts and memories.  The photo above shows Fiona, who was running the session and has a gift for crafting letters (as a former English and Drama Teacher!), helping the attendees understand the benefits of such letters given or left for those special people in your life.

After Fiona’s presentation, the group then spent time, with more help from Fiona, contemplating to whom they might wish to write and the thoughts they might like to consign to paper.

The feedback from the attendees to this first session was wonderfully positive and future sessions will include talks about Anticipatory Grief, Welfare, to include available State Benefits, Wills, and the Lasting Power of Attorney and Advance Care Planning.

The sessions about Mindfulness and Relaxation will show which techniques can be used at home and a resident Complementary Therapist will provide hand, foot, or face massage as required.

John Robinson from the hospice’s Family Support Team said: “These warm and welcoming hub group sessions are open to anyone with a terminal illness, including those with neurological conditions such as dementia, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s.  Anyone under our care is invited to attend with or without their loved one or carer, some may find doing this together is helpful, others may prefer to attend on their own or separately."

“Each session is an opportunity to be with others also thinking about their life journey, finding support and meaning in this project work together.

“The ‘Living Memories’ sessions include ideas for creative projects you may wish to explore throughout the programme including creating memory boxes, recipe books, life journaling, storytelling or milestone cards.”

“Alongside your creative project, each week there will be optional supportive and educative workshops, run on a rolling basis, with themes including mindfulness and relaxation, letters to loved ones, money matters, advance care planning and anticipatory grief.”