Goodbye to Jennie after 30 years

We are saying a fond farewell to Jennie Regan, our Wellbeing at Home Healthcare Assistant. Jennie has been with Treetops for almost 31 years so we asked her to reflect back on her career.

You’ve had a lot of different roles here at Treetops. Tell us a bit about your positions here over the last 29 years.

I started in September 1994. Originally, I was a registered nurse in the Hospice at Home team. The service had literally just started that year so there were only a handful of nurses back then. Treetops has grown from an acorn into an oak tree since then!

A year later, a vacancy came up in the (former) Day Care service. I did that and continued to do Hospice at Home nursing at the weekends. That lasted for ten years but then Day Care started getting really busy. They needed me to do more hours, so I stopped my Hospice at Home role.

Day Care was always full of laughter and in the very early days we even did canal trips on a special boat adapted for disabled people. The patients loved it and if we had room, we’d invite carers as well. It was fun but very hard work.

When I first started at Treetops, they very kindly sent me to train for complementary therapy so I could offer this to patients in Day Care. When I left Day Care, I started to deliver a complementary therapy service in the community. It was invaluable to those who couldn’t access the hospice site here in Risley.

When COVID came along and affected everything, we stopped the service in the community. I asked to be transferred to the Wellbeing at Home team as a Healthcare Assistant (HCA) to care for our end-of-life and palliative care patients. I feel I’ve gone full circle.”

What is it that you enjoy the most about your current role as a Wellbeing at Home nurse?To me, the Wellbeing at Home service isn’t just for patients. It’s wonderful to be involved with the whole family and carers too because they need so much support.”

You can see the difference you make. When you first go in, you’ve got a very tense and anxious atmosphere. But by the time you leave, they’re your best friends. It’s lovely. Usually, the carer goes out when I’m there, because that’s the whole point. But there’s still time to chat and catch up, and for me to introduce the other Treetops services.

What is it about Treetops that makes it so special for you to have worked here for nearly 31 years?

The staff and volunteers were, and are, amazing. Many have become lifelong friends. I have lots of fantastic memories. Lots of laughs, and sadness, of course, but I feel I’ve made a difference.

What has always been really important for me, is when you first go to someone’s house; it’s that first impression. And when someone dies, it’s the last impression. You want their death to be a good death, the best that it can be.”

How does it feel to be retiring after 30 years?

I get mixed emotions but I’m excited because now I can do what I want, when I want. I can see more of my family. I’ve got a daughter in Australia so I can go there for longer.

That’s what you learn at a hospice, to make the most of what you’ve got. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

I’ve carried on here because I love what I do, so obviously I’m going to miss it, but I’ve got something to replace it.I will always support Treetops, and I will watch very closely its growth. It’s just wonderful to see how it’s developed and long may it continue. I wish Treetops all the best in the future.