A day in the life of Carol, our Wellbeing Coordinator

In our Wellbeing Centre, our team offer expert care, soothing therapies and a warm environment for patients and carers to relax and make friends.

One of the friendly, familiar faces in the centre is our Wellbeing Coordinator Carol!

In her role, Carol offers complimentary therapies and a warm welcome to everyone coming in. We caught up with Carol to find out more about what her days look like – as well as a quickfire questions including why she loves working at Teesside Hospice:

9am: My day begins with a team handover, where we catch up on any updates and check if any patients have called about the day's sessions. From there, I head into the Wellbeing Lounge to prepare for the morning group. Creating a calm, welcoming space is really important, so I put relaxing music on the television and fill the room with candles to help everyone feel at ease as soon as they arrive.

10:00am – 12:00pm: On Tuesdays, we run our Neurological Dementia Group, a 10-week programme where we enjoy a different activity each week. We keep things varied and fun, with activities such as Play Your Cards Right, bingo, painting plant pots, planting bulbs and pamper massages.

The group has become so popular, with patients attending every single week. It's lovely to see the friendships that have formed here. Because they've built trust with us, they're willing to try new things and encourage one another along the way.

One of my favourite parts of it is how some of the men were a little hesitant to join in at first. By the third week, they were all asking for massages and absolutely loved them!

I also couldn't run the group without our wonderful volunteers, Derek, Ella and Laura. Their support is invaluable.

1:30pm – 3:30pm: After lunch, it's time for my favourite part of the day, our Pamper Social - another 10-week programme designed to help patients relax and enjoy some well-deserved time for themselves.

We offer facials, hand and arm massages, leg and foot massages, and adapted Indian head massages. It's all about providing a welcome distraction from illness and giving patients two hours where they can simply chat, unwind, and enjoy being cared for.

This is definitely my comfort zone. I've been providing pamper treatments for a long time, and I genuinely love seeing patients relax. Knowing I've made even a small difference to someone's day is incredibly rewarding.

When a patient tells me they feel lighter as they leave than when they arrived, it means the world.

4:00pm – 5:00pm: At the end of the day, I tidy the room after each session and complete my patient notes over a cuppa, catch up on admin, and hand over any important information to the nursing team before heading home.

My top tip for relaxing:

Take just 15 minutes to do something important to you. It could be putting on some hand cream, listening to relaxing music, or sitting quietly with a cup of tea. Giving yourself permission to pause, even for a short time, can make such a difference.

Something people might not know about our wellbeing groups:

The groups are about so much more than the activities. They create opportunities for genuine friendships to grow. We've seen patients arrange to meet for coffee outside of the hospice, which is so important. I love watching people's confidence grow and seeing even the quietest members of the group come out of their shell. We often find that patients can talk about things to each other that they wouldn’t with their own family, and I’m so glad that our groups can give each other this support.

What I love most about my job:

Making a difference to our patients' lives means everything to me. Seeing someone leave feeling happier, more relaxed, or simply knowing they've had a couple of hours where their illness wasn't the focus is incredibly special.

I couldn't do any of it without the support of the Wellbeing Team, who encourage me every day. Together, we're able to create a space where patients feel cared for, valued, and able to make lasting memories and friendships.