“You get ready and you come here, because you know that it’s going to make you feel better in yourself”

Denise has recently been referred to our Wellbeing Centre. She shares how she doesn’t know what she would do if it wasn’t for the group sessions she attends, and how they motivate her to feel good about herself each week.

“I’m Denise O’Brian, and I come to the wellbeing centre, because I’ve been diagnosed with Cancer, so I’ve been referred here. 

We have a great time here, it’s so friendly. It’s a pamper session that we come to at the moment, with Carol, and we get one every week. It could be a head massage, a hand massage or a manicure. We all get a turn each, and it’s brilliant.”

Programmes like our complementary therapy sessions help patients to cope better with the symptoms of their illness, giving them the confidence to gain more control in their life.

“It’s just great that you can come here, with a group of people who have all got the same as you. You can relate to each other, there’s no stigma there, it’s all natural. You can talk about your condition if you want to, and people will tell you what they’ve got. If there’s certain things that you are suffering from, for example I have water retention in my legs, then they will suggest things to help you.

The nurses are so caring, if you have anything wrong, they will come and talk to you. If you’re in pain, you can talk to them about pain management. Anything at all that you have got going on, and if you’re upset about anything, you can just come in here and chat with them.”

From 2023 to 2024, our Wellbeing Centre supported 216 patients just like Denise, ensuring they have the right support when they need it most. 

“It’s something where you might not want to go out, and you might be feeling depressed and thinking I haven’t got the energy to get dressed. But you get ready and you come here, because you know that it’s going to make you feel better in yourself.

I think it’s important that people understand exactly what this place does for you, and how it makes you feel. It’s an absolutely wonderful place to be able to come to.”

The Wellbeing Centre at Teesside Hospice is here to support patients and their families through tailored programmes that can help you stay independent, improve symptoms and make a difference in enabling you to feel more confident to have control in your own care.

If you need support, or further information regarding our Wellbeing Centre, get in touch at 01642 811060.