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Visit the charity's profileThis will help ensure The Myton Hospices can continue to provide its services free of charge to people with a terminal or life limiting illness, and their families, when they need us most
Kate Miles was able to have some control over her death thanks to The Myton Hospices.
When she was told she had a matter of weeks left to live, she decided she wanted to spend that time at home.
Her children, Steven and Kati, both moved back to their parents house to care for Kate. She was fiercely independent and wanted to continue to live as normally as possible for as long as she could. As specialist equipment like walking sticks, wheelchairs, toilet seats and even a new bed arrived, Steven and Kati would hide it from their mum and retrieve it only when she decided she needed it.
It was a difficult journey for her because she used to be a home care manager and this time she was on the other side of the situation. After about two and a half months of caring for mum, we were exhausted and wondering what was going on as we thought we only had a matter of weeks left with her. We were up all night, my sister was literally a nurse.
We had lots of support from district nurses and Macmillan nurses. Mum wanted to stay at home until the end but the further along we went, we realised there were things which you have to do which you dont ever imagine having to do for your parent like taking them to the toilet, administering suppositories.
One day I told Kati I couldnt cope anymore and phoned Myton because we were so desperate. We had been coping so well until then. Then Myton was there every single day, several times a day. It made it possible for us to keep mum at home right up until the end. When the Myton at Home team came in it was about care, but one of the nurses, Maddy, would also do mums nails and she really looked forward to that.
Myton enabled Kate to feel in control of her death. And for her family, the most important thing was that they had no regrets, and nothing left unsaid once they found out there time together was limited.
When we found out mum was dying, Kati and I planned out what we wanted and to make sure we and mum didnt have any regrets. The whole journey has made me unafraid of death and what happens. Mum got what she wanted by being able to be at home to die.
£50 covers the cost of two hours specialist nursing care
£175 is the upkeep cost of our relatives accommodation for a week
£460 will fund an inpatient bed for one day
£2,000 would buy a patient specific recliner chair to enable patients to spend time out of bed
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