Volunteers launch social group for patients in Swansea city centre cafe

Once a fortnight they welcome patients receiving support from the Specialist Palliative Care team to the Cartrefi Social Bean Hub in St Mary’s Square.

There the patients can share experiences with people in a similar situation to their own and enjoy arts and crafts and music sessions – away from a hospital setting.

The team of volunteers at Ty Olwen is now more than 30 strong. They do everything from running the tea bar and keeping the garden looking its best, providing volunteer transport and supporting patients and families on the wards.

They have now linked with Cartrefi Cymru Co-Operative, a not-for-profit organisation that mainly supports people with learning disabilities.

It runs the Social Bean Hub, which the Ty Olwen volunteers have been hiring every other Wednesday since early April.

“It’s for our community patients who would benefit from support and companionship from Ty Olwen,” said Helen Martin, who manages the Ty Olwen volunteer team.

“When you’re ill and don’t get out to see your friends as much, it can be a very isolating experience.

“Now, the patients can come in and they can talk about whatever they want, or about anything that’s on their mind. We have our team of fantastic volunteers who can support that.

“The feedback from the patients has been great. They are very pleased to have somewhere they can come and meet other people in the same situation as theirs.

“A bit of peer support from each other has been great to see. And it’s away from a hospital setting, which was deliberate. We don’t want people to feel as if they are in a medical environment.”

Helen said one of the meetings included music from volunteer Aly Loring, while another involved card-making.

“We have asked the people what they want to do, like painting or whatever,” she added. “But it’s mostly about giving them the opportunity to get away from home and speak about things that maybe they would prefer not to talk to their family about.”

One participant, Angela Pridmore, from Fforestfach said: “I’ve been looking for outlets so when I was contacted about the social group, I was very interested.

“This is my third session here. It has been very interesting and enjoyable.

“We’ve shared stories and had a music session, which was really uplifting. It’s great. I would advise anyone to come along if they are able to.”

Alison McNamara, who lives in Clydach, volunteers on the Ty Olwen inpatient unit and also supports the social group. She is a relative newcomer, having joined the volunteering ranks earlier this year.

Alison lost her first husband eight years ago. He was in a hospice in Warwickshire at the end of his life and Alison fundraised for it by walking 1,000 miles over the space of a year.

But, she said, she wanted to do more than just raise money. Since moving to Wales, Alison, who remarried and has a young son, has completed a psychology degree.

“I would like to become a counsellor,” she said. “I was looking around for places to volunteer to get some experience of talking to people with the purpose of helping them.

“It can be tough on the ward. But here we do things like card-making, there’s a bit more space and it’s a social get-together, which is nice.”

So far only a limited number of patients have attended the social group, but Helen hopes it will grow as more of them become aware of it.

“If anyone who is looked after by the specialist palliative care team would like to come along, we would welcome them,” she said.

“It’s in central Swansea. They can be dropped off right outside the door and the bus station and taxi rank are really close.

“We took a long time choosing a venue. Cartrefi have been really accommodating. They completely got from the beginning what we were trying to achieve, and they have made us so welcome.

“They have their own volunteers who come in and serve us. It’s good for them, as well, to be able to see their beautiful facility used by the wider population.”

#cafe #MorristonHospital #PalliativeCare #StMarySSquare #Swansea #TŷOlwen

Volunteers make a splash by tuning up for piano challenge

Six volunteers raised £2,000 to purchase an electric piano by committing to ten dips in Caswell Bay.

Volunteer Aly Loring organised the fundraising challenge after speaking about music to patients at Tŷ Olwen, which delivers specialist palliative and end of life care.

Aly said: “Music is so important when sometimes there are no words.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of patients about music and how it impacts them, so I thought it would be a great idea to fundraise for an electric piano.

“Now we have the piano, anyone can play it – patients, staff, volunteers, visitors. It sets a nice atmosphere and can bring some joy to everyone who is in the building.

“The first song I played on it was inspired by a patient I spoke to. She loved Calon Lan, so I made sure that was the first song I played.”

The fundraising efforts surpassed expectations, with the total currently more than £3,400, with donations still being made.

Aly added: “The efforts of the volunteers in doing the challenge was amazing, and that was matched by the money raised – the extra money will be used for something else to help the patient experience in Tŷ Olwen.

“The camaraderie of the volunteers was so inspiring, and we helped each other through it all.

“We had some tricky weather – one dip came via a storm – but we sang different songs each time and one of our volunteers Carol Pillinger dressed up as Tinkerbell and a ballerina to bring more fun to it all.

“We also had Sue Parker doing the dips, while Ann Sandham, Sophie Cuggy and Chinch Gryniewicz helped by holding towels for us for when we got out of the sea and encouraging us. While there were other volunteers who couldn’t come in or be there, but who donated and raised money themselves. It was a real team effort.”

Helen Martin, Volunteer Support Manager at Tŷ Olwen Hospice, said: “We are ever so grateful for the efforts of the volunteers, who have really gone above and beyond in their efforts to support patients and staff in Tŷ Olwen.

“When you walk into the main entrance and are welcomed by music on the electric piano it really sets an uplifting atmosphere.

“Our patients are enjoying listening to the music, whether that’s in the tea bar or from their rooms, while staff and visitors have also given lovely feedback too.”

(Lead image: Swansea Bay NHS)

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#Caswell #Charity #Music #Swansea #SwanseaBayNHS #TyOlwen

More than £13,000 raised for good causes by Mayor’s charitable fund

The money was raised via a variety of mayoral events throughout the civic year, including the successful Parc Margam 10k run in the spectacular surroundings of Margam Country Park on January 26th, 2024.

On Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, Cllr Williams returned to the Mayor’s Parlour in Port Talbot’s Civic Centre to present cheques to representatives of his two chosen charities for the year.

One of these was Harry’s Fund, a charity set up in Alltwen, Pontardawe, following the tragic death of Harry Nye Patterson in 2011. The charity aims to help those who have experienced sudden death situations. 

Due to the sad passing of Cllr Williams’s wife when his daughter was just eight, he has recognised that bereavement support and counselling is extremely important and proved invaluable to his daughter throughout her young life as well as helping him during a very difficult period. 

The second was the Ty Olwen Hospice based at Morriston Hospital, which does so much good work for patients and families of people suffering with cancer and other life limiting diseases. 

The Specialist Palliative Care team based at Ty Olwen provides a service to Singleton, Morriston, Neath Port Talbot and outlying community hospitals. It also provides a community service to the population of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of Harry’s Fund, Harry’s mother, Michelle Patterson, accompanied by grief counsellor and bereavement trainer for schools, Glenys Benford-Lewis, thanked everyone who had donated and taken part in the Mayor’s Charitable Fund events.

She explained the money would be used to continue the Swansea Valley charity’s provision of bereavement training for teachers, schools and children and young people’s organisations. 

Michelle added: “We believe more should be done to support children and young people who have lost a loved one and we will continue to highlight the importance of grief education.”

Helen Murray MBE, Chair of the Ty Olwen Trust, thanked Cllr Williams, former Mayoress Debbie Rees and all those who provided donations and sponsorship throughout Cllr Williams’s year of office for Ty Olwen.

She said: “This money will enable us to purchase three specialist ‘rise and recline’ electrically powered chairs. These will be invaluable to our patients as it will allow them to sit out of bed comfortably while at the same time receiving physiotherapy.”

[Lead image: Neath Port Talbot Council]

#ParcMargam10k #TŷOlwen

The state-of-the-art device – costing over £30,000 – has been purchased by the Tŷ Olwen Trust, thanks to three generous donations.

The ultrasound machine gives consultants a clear picture of where to apply pain relief injections for palliative patients who have illnesses including cancer. It will also provide relief for patients near the end of their lives.

Tŷ Olwen now has exclusive use of the new machine, having previously shared a similar device which was nearing the end of its lifespan.

Essentially, the injections provide a pain block between nerves to numb pain for patients for up to three months.

This can have an array of benefits, such as a reduction in other medicines and reducing side effects. On some occasions, it has allowed patients to return home from Tŷ Olwen as their pain is under greater control.

Aside from the quality of the machine giving consultants a clearer vision of the nerves, its exclusive use in Tŷ Olwen will mean more patients will benefit from the device.

Steve Young, Consultant Anaesthetist and Pain Medicine Specialist, said:

“The new machine is high tech, modern and it’s like comparing 4K to standard definition. It gives a far clearer resolution and is similar to putting a new pair of prescription glasses on.

“The machine enables me to see underneath the skin, and it really helps in terms of identifying the perfect area to apply the injection.

“Previously, I saw between 30-40 patients a year for this procedure, but now we are capable of seeing more with the new machine because of its quality.”

The machine was purchased for Tŷ Olwen courtesy of three main donations.

More than £20,000 was donated by the Swansea and Gower Cancer Self Help Group – which has been wound up – while retired GP and Tŷ Olwen Trustee, Dr Stuart Roberts, raised £3,110 from a tandem skydive. The Albert Hunt Trust, a grant-giving charitable trust that supports local registered charities throughout the UK, also donated £10,000.

Dr Gwen Davies, consultant in palliative medicine and clinical director, said:

“We are incredibly grateful for this donation which will make a huge difference to the pain relief of palliative patients.

“We are also looking into the possibility of utilising the machine for other services within Tŷ Olwen in order to maximise its potential and to help as many patients as possible.”

Paul Murray, Tŷ Olwen Trust vice chairman, said:

“We were delighted to work with Yvonne Young of the Swansea and Gower Cancer Self Help Group when the incredibly generous financial offer of support was made. 

“It was also important to seek the professional knowledge of Dr Davies, Dr Young and the team in identifying the need of an ultrasound machine. Our thanks also go to our fellow trustee, Stuart, for his bravery in jumping out of a plane and to the Albert Hunt Trust for their continued support.

“As with everything that the trust does for Tŷ Olwen, it is the patients who are the focus of our support and it is good to know that this machine will be of benefit to them for many years to come.”

[Lead image: Swansea University Health Board]

https://swanseabaynews.com/2024/09/04/palliative-patients-benefit-from-ultrasound-machine-donation/

#PalliativeCare #SwanseaUniversityHealthBoard #TŷOlwen