Last updated at 11:56, Wednesday, 13 March 2013

WITHOUT making home visits, St Mary’s Hospice would not be able to help as many people as it does.

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EXPERT Complementary therapist Carol Coskin pictures by MILTON HAWORTH REF: 50044242B000

The complementary therapy team regularly visit patients in their homes, making the hospice vehicles a vital tool of their trade.

As part of the Reaching Out campaign, every day this week the Evening Mail has taken a look at a different aspect of the hospice’s work and today looks at how your support can help provide another vital service.

Carol Coskin, from Ulverston, has been with the hospice for around 15 years.

She said: “Complementary therapy is meant to be supportive to all of the other traditional treatments that a patient would receive.

“It can be very beneficial in alleviating some of the things associated with stress.”

The hospice has two treatment rooms, one in Ulverston and one in Barrow, that she is constantly travelling between.

She is also frequently using one of the hospice cars to get to patients’ homes and said they are indispensable.

She added: “It is important to have a really reliable car that you can get in and go.

“It needs to be quite a cost-effective vehicle, with petrol prices soaring.

“It is great to be able to offer people sessions at home.”

She thinks it is important to be able to offer patients something that is a little bit different to their normal appointments.

But the travelling can quickly mount up and she has put a significant number of miles on her trusty hospice car.

Which is why the Reaching Out campaign aims to raise £70,000 to replace seven hospice vehicles, including the one Carol uses on a daily basis. She added: “If the need is there we try to get to it. Sometimes a patient may feel too poorly to come out to have treatment and a carer might not want to go out while a loved one is at home.

“It may also be that somebody is just regaining their confidence and seeing somebody at home can help with that.” If you want to donate to the campaign, you can drop off cash and cheques at our Abbey Road office in Barrow.

First published at 15:13, Sunday, 17 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk

ARTICLE ARCHIVE:

Call for support to replace Ulverston hospice fleet

Ailing van threatens Ulverston charity delivery work

Ulverston hospice vehicles ‘vital to patients and carers’

Ulverston hospice staff helped grant ill dad’s dying wish