Funding of £193,000 leads to iPads for Lincolnshire hospice patients to combat Covid-19 impact

A Lincolnshire hospice charity has reported success from the roll-out of a technology project designed to help ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
St Barnabas Hospice patient Marlene Cole.St Barnabas Hospice patient Marlene Cole.
St Barnabas Hospice patient Marlene Cole.

Last year, St Barnabas Hospice received grant funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and Barclays Covid-19 Relief Fund totalling £193,966.

The money has been designated to buy technology that will help combat isolation, loneliness, and economic hardship in Lincolnshire as a result of Covid-19. This includes laptops to enable remote working, headsets for counsellors, phones, and software.

Among the items purchased was a bank of iPads which are loaned to St Barnabas patients for a period of up to six months to help them stay connected with friends, family and caregivers. These iPads have also enabled patients to access therapeutic videos online.

Marlene Cole is one patient who was able to benefit from the use of an

iPad. She said, “I was a bit nervous at first because I’m not into modern technology, but now since I’ve had this iPad, I have decided I am going to get one of my own because it’s really helped me while I’ve been shielding. I haven’t been out at all – I’m in all day.

“I like to look at YouTube, I play music, and I particularly like to go onto Google and search for the countries I have travelled to and where I used to live. My daughter and I used to go on holidays to Tunisia, and I got the hotel up on Google and had a tour around it. I like listening to instrumental music, The Shadows, Tornados, Bees Gees, ABBA and Lincoln City Radio.

“I have been set up with emails, and my daughter sends me photos of my grandson, who is my absolute world.”

The pandemic has been tough for people like Marlene, who lives alone with a life-limiting or terminal illness, but St Barnabas has been a lifeline to many, the charity says.

Marlene added: “Sometimes I’ve not wanted to wake up, but I’ve got Anne the Chaplain who rings me, and Jo from St Barnabas sends me the church service. I’ve found a lot of comfort in God. I’ve never been religious, and I’ve never gone to church, but I’ve found a lot of comfort in that.

“Through St Barnabas, they got me a befriender, Susan. She would voluntarily come and take me to her house for coffee, and we still remain friends now. I love being in the sunshine, so I sometimes sit outside the front door with my music playing. I’m really looking forward to that this summer.”

St Barnabas Hospice provides free care and support to adults living with a life-limiting or terminal illness in Lincolnshire, as well as free bereavement support to adults in Lincolnshire struggling to cope with their grief.

n To find out more about the services offered by St Barnabas or self-refer, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk

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