Forest Holme Hospice provides palliative and end-of life-care and support to more than 1,500 people each year across Poole, Wimborne and the Isle of Purbeck with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illnesses such as Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson’s, heart disease and respiratory illness. Forest Holme is part of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust but still needs to raise £1 million each year so that the team can deliver the highest level of care, when and where it counts. Forest Holme Hospice Charity was set-up to ensure that everyone in the local community affected by life-limiting illness or bereavement gets the care and support they need, either at home or in its dedicated hospice facility. The Charity works together with Macmillan Caring Locally to support the provision of Palliative and End-of-Life Care across the geographical remit of University Hospitals Dorset. The hospice has a team of specialist doctors, nurses, counsellors, complementary therapists and specialist care teams who provide practical and emotional support for adults of all ages and their families in a variety of settings, such as their own home, nursing home, care home, in hospital or in the hospice itself. Forest Holme also offers counselling and bereavement support to both newly diagnosed individuals and family members, as it understands that care extends beyond physical treatment of symptoms, as the emotional, psychological, spiritual and social needs of patients, their families, children and carers all need to be considered. The demand for palliative and end-of-life care is ever increasing as people are living longer and have more complex illnesses, so the Charity relies on local support from individuals, companies and groups to help continue the provision of excellent palliative and end-of-life care to patients and their families during the most difficult time of their lives. For more information visit www.forestholmehospice.org.uk
