Day Care

What is Day Care? Day Care is held at Treetops Hospice on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you have a life-limiting condition, Day Care will give you the opportunity to spend some part of the day away from home. You will be in the company of people in similar situations, in an environment that is safe, caring and friendly. Qualified nurses, an experienced health care assistant alongside a trained volunteer support team provide care and activities that give you the opportunity to discover the pleasures of arts and crafts, meeting others, socialising and occasional outings. If you are experiencing symptoms that are difficult to manage, the team will discuss this with you and help you to find a way of managing them and living with your illness in such a way that your quality of life is improved.  Is Day Care available to me? If you have a life-limiting illness and are aged 18 or over and live in Southern Derbyshire or the Nottingham borders, the answer is YES. You can refer yourself or ask your carer, district nurse or general practitioner to make a referral on your behalf.  Treetops Hospice                       0115 949 1264 Day Care Manager                   Peter Jones Senior Staff Nurse                    Jennie Regan  What will happen once a referral has been made? Peter Jones or one of our qualified nurses will telephone you to arrange a convenient time to come and visit you at home. You will then be invited to be one of our Day Care guests. In general the most difficult part of the process is the first visit – it can be very challenging to visit a new place filled with lots of new faces, our experience tells us that once people have had a taste of what Day Care can offer they love it!! “My mum really enjoyed going to Treetops and when it was her birthday the staff made her a cake, and although by this time she was quite ill, it was a really fantastic birthday for her.” A relative or carer will be invited to attend Day Care with you on the first visit.  How will I get there? Most Day Care guests are brought to the hospice by Volunteer Drivers who use their own cars. For guests who are wheelchair users we can make other arrangements such as a wheelchair accessible minibus or wheelchair taxi. Of course, many guests are able to drive themselves or a carer may chose to drop them off and pick them up. Day Care starts at 10am and guests leave at about 3.30pm. Many guests access Day Care for shorter periods of time and we will work with you to arrange visits that are at convenient times and on convenient days.  Who’s going to give me my medicines? You will be asked to bring your medicines with you and take them as you would do at home. Although we can look after your medicines for you whilst you are here and help you take them, we will encourage you to remain independent and manage your medications yourself.  What sort of things will I be able to do in Day Care? Just about anything you chose to do!  Some people come and have an assisted bath, or have their hair done. Some come to sit in the peaceful conservatory and talk to staff, and other guests, about all sorts of things, from the weather to worries they have about their illness. Every day we have a creative therapist who works with guests on individual or group creative projects.  There is a computer available for your use, some guests have learned to use it from scratch. You can access the Internet, write a poem or explore the possibilities of digital photography.  When the weather is suitable we offer the opportunity to have a day out on a local canal narrow boat, go Christmas shopping. You can also have a simple hand or foot massage, or maybe have your nails painted.  A mid-day meal is provided, and of course, there’s lots of tea, coffee and cakes available all day. You will be offered an alcoholic drink before your lunch – it stimulates the appetite, and makes for a sociable lunch hour. If you prefer to eat in more private surroundings, or need assistance at meal times we will ensure that this happens.  We also run an Out Patient Clinic once a week, Doctor Maelie Swanick from the Nightingale Macmillan Unit in Derby runs the clinic and if you need to see her we will arrange it for you.  How much will it cost? No charge is made for the Day Care service.