My pride at working and walking for Wisbech hospice at home team

As a special memory walk to raise funds for an incredible charity nears, the Citizen has heard of the amazing work the money will go towards.

Josi Ransome, who works as a health care assistant for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, has told of her pride for working with the Hospice at Home team.

Josi who, along with her husband and editor of the Citizen Jeremy, will be joining in this year’s Star Shine Walk, works in a small team to provide specialist care to people as they approach the end of the lives.

She said: “We work alongside nurses and doctors to look after patients and to allow them to die at home, in comfort, with their loved ones around them.

“We provide all of the care they need and help as much as we can to support the patient and their loved ones.

“There are 14 of us in the team and we cover all of Fenland.”

Last year’s Star Shine Walk raised more than £40,000 which is equivalent of 67 visits from the charity’s Hospice at Home charity.

The charity’s overall running costs will total £8.56 million this year, with more than £4 million needed to be raised through donations, fundraising activities and retail.

Josi, who has been working with the team since January, has spent eight years working in care but says what she has seen in this job is like nothing else.

“I think I am a good carer and that I provide a good standard of care but I have never seen anything like the care provided at the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity,” she said.

“They give such a good level a care and they are very experienced.

“There is so much training given to us and I think people often confuse us with carers but we are so much more than that.

“Many people don’t realise that the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is a charity, but it is and we rely on donations to continue with our work.

“It is a completely different experience from a care home - a care home is primarily a business but the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’s main aim is to provide care and assist people in their finals days, weeks and months.”

The care offered by the Hospice at Home team is varied and can be anything from keeping the patient comfortable and ensuring that they have the medication they need, to providing a hand massage and words of comfort.

The team visit their patients between one and three times per day but as their condition deteriorates they increase to three visits, spending as much time as is needed with them and their loved ones.

Josi has seen first hand how important the team’s work is.

She said: “I feel really proud of be working for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and it is such a rewarding job.

“We recently had a patient and I developed a really good connection with his wife. He passed away while we were there with him and his wife said that she was so glad we had been there.

“She felt supported and she was so grateful for what we did.

“But I was glad that I was there too - when you look after someone and you are able to be there to say your final goodbyes before they pass away you feel as though you have been able to complete your job of caring for them.

“I have always loved giving care and it gives me so much joy to be part of a charity with the main aim of caring, not making money.

“Words can’t explain how happy I was when I was given the opportunity to work for them and I honestly love going to work every day.”

Josi and Jeremy will be embarking on their Star Shine Walk between May 21 and May 23, where Josi will walk 10 miles and Jeremy will take on 20 miles walking around their home in Lutton.

Training is going well for the couple who are looking forward to bringing in some pennies for the cause.

Josi said: “We feel really good about doing it and it’s important because we are doing it for such a great cause so that pushes us on.

“I will always do anything I can do help raise money for them as I am so proud to work there.”

To register to take part in this year’s Start Shine Walk visit www.arhc.org.uk/starshinewalk

Registrations received by May 16 will receive a walk pack containing a special edition customisable event t-shirt and other goodies.