Clinical Services available in Blackrock Hospice

In-Patient Care St. Therese's Ward

Consultants in Palliative Medicine, Specialist Registrar, Nurses, Care Assistants, Social Workers, Chaplain, Psychologist, Physiotherapist, Hydrotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Ward Clerk. We offer respite and end of life care as well as support for patients’ families.

Each room has a multi-channel television and small fridge. In addition to the patients’ bedrooms, the ward includes a patient’s lounge with games, a television, video and a small library. A quiet room is next to the patient lounge and there is also a smoking room for patient use only.

Mass is celebrated each Tuesday at 3.00pm in the Hospice Chapel and Holy Communion can be received daily.

Family accommodation is available should family members wish to stay overnight with a patient and is available on a first come first served basis.

St. Therese’s Ward can take patients from its catchment area which covers from south of Ringsend to Dundrum to Shankill and East Wicklow as far as the border with CountyWexford. In other words it covers the former health board areas Community Care Areas 1, 2 & 10.

Home Care Service

The Home Care service based in Blackrock Hospice transferred from Our Lady’s Hospice, Harold’s Cross in July 2003. The Home Care team is led clinically by a Consultant in Palliative Medicine and comprises Clinical Nurse Specialists, a Social Worker and a Medical Registrar.

The Home Care team provides specialist information and support for patients and families in their home or to patients resident in nursing homes. The Team works closely with the patient’s own General Practitioner (GP) and Public Health Nurse (PHN), who continue to have overall nursing and medical responsibility for the patient.

The Home Care team sees approximately 350 new patients in their homes/nursing homes each year and serves a catchment area which covers from south of Ringsend to Dundrum to Shankill in Co. Dublin i.e. the former Eastern Regional Health Authority areas, Community Care Area 1 and Community Care Area 2.

Day Hospice Service

Our Day Hospice service commenced in November 2005. It operates on a three day week basis, currently on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We can cater for up to 12 patients per day. The team comprises a clinical nurse manager, staff nurse, care assistants, senior physiotherapist, senior hydrotherapist and occupational therapist. The Psychosocial Care team also work with Day Hospice patients as required. Day Hospice patients can also avail of Complementary Therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The purpose of the Day Hospice is to support patients being cared for in the home setting. When patients are referred to Day Hospice they undergo a formal assessment. A programme of care is then planned that best meets their identified needs.

Blackrock Day Hospice has a purpose-built suite of therapy rooms including physiotherapy room, occupational therapy assessment room, complementary therapy room and a hydrotherapy pool, all of which are available to patients from St. Therese’s Ward, Home Care and Day Hospice patients.

Day Hospice can take patients from its catchment area which covers from south of Ringsend to Dundrum to Shankill and East Wicklow as far as the border with CountyWexford. In other words it covers the former health board areas Community Care Areas 1, 2 & 10.

Psychosocial Care

When someone is seriously ill it affects everyone in the family. Psychosocial Care at the Blackrock Hospice includes the spiritual, emotional and social needs of patients, carers, family and children. The Psychosocial team is comprised of a clinical psychologist, two senior social workers, a chaplain and complementary therapists.

When people are emotionally distressed it can help to talk to someone who is not a family member. Individual and group counselling is available to support people coping with chronic illness and loss.

Chaplaincy provides spiritual comfort to patients and families, organises services for all faiths and memorial services for the relatives and families of those who have died.

Touch therapy offers gentle contact in a calm nurturing setting, enabling the patients to relax.

Blackrock Hospice has a qualified team to help parents, families and children, prepare for loss and continues to support them in their bereavement as they deal with the emotional impact of losing a loved one.

Physiotherapy

The Physiotherapy Department in Blackrock Hospice treats and cares for patients from St. Therese’s Ward, Day Hospice and Home Care.

The aim of physiotherapy is to help individuals maintain independence and to provide relief from pain, joint stiffness, immobility, breathlessness, muscle swelling or wasting.

How can physiotherapy help?

• Exercise programmes and equipment can help to strengthen weak muscles and ease stiffness and can lead to increased mobility
• Patients and carers may benefit from advice concerning the safest and easiest ways to achieve everyday tasks such as getting up from a chair, transferring from bed to chair or getting in and out of a car
• Physiotherapists can identify risks of falling and prescribe exercise programmes to prevent falls and improve problems of balance and co-ordination
• Physiotherapy can alleviate swollen limbs by offering appropriate treatments such as fitting of hosiery, specialised bandaging, massage and advice
• Physiotherapy can help in the management of breathlessness and difficulty in clearing secretions by teaching breathing exercises, positioning, use of ventilatory aids and relaxation techniques
• Management of soft tissue injuries and pain

Hydrotherapy

At Blackrock Hospice patients from Day Hospice, St. Therese’s Ward and Home Care can all be referred to Hydrotherapy. Put simply, Hydrotherapy is Physiotherapy in water!

As with physiotherapy, the role of hydrotherapy in palliative care is to enhance the patient’s quality of life. Hydrotherapy is a pleasant and relaxing experience as well as therapeutic and patients tend to really enjoy their sessions in the warm pool.

How can hydrotherapy help?

It can play an important role in:

• Pain relief
• Increasing range of movement
• Increasing strength
• Improving respiratory function
• Decreasing tone
• Re-education of functional activities
• Enhancing relaxation and a sense of well being
• Improving cardiovascular fitness
• Improving core stability and posture
• Decreasing oedema
• Gait and balance re-education

Occupational Therapy

The Occupational Therapy (OT) Department in Blackrock Hospice treats and cares for patients from St. Therese's Ward, Day Hospice and Home Care.

Occupational Therapy uses a client-centred approach to assess and treat patients, targeting areas that are of specific importance to them.

What is the OT's role?

The OT:

• Assesses each person's needs and offers practical suggestions and introduces alternative methods to maintain independence in daily activities
• Works with the person and their families to help them achieve goals that are meaningful to them
• Teaches methods of enhancing relaxation and reducing anxiety
• Offers advice on energy conservation
• Carries out a home assessment to maximise a person's independence, comfort and safety at home
• Supplies equipment to help the person maintain independence and assist carers in continuing to care for the individual at home
• Carries out seating/wheelchair assessments and gives advice on positioning
• Provide splints in order to prevent or reduce deformity and to reduce pain

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