What is spiritual care?
The In-Patient Unit celebrated Valentine’s Day with a little extra love! Our dedicated team treated patients to individual mini bouquets of flowers, wrapped surprises, sweet treats like empire biscuits with love hearts, chocolate- drizzled biscuits, and flute glasses of bubbly (including zerosecco). Our wonderful nurses delivered these thoughtful surprises straight to the patients’ rooms, bringing smiles and a touch of celebration to their day. Thank you to our incredible staff for making this Valentine’s Day extra special, and to all who contributed to making our patients feel the love. Valentine’s Day Love at the In-Patient Unit
The Ayrshire Hospice is pleased to announce that it has entered into working partnerships with The Park Hotel Kilmarnock and Trump Turnberry Resort, both of which will offer benefits to our Patient Care programmes. Hospice Announces Exciting Partnerships
By Scott McKenna, Spiritual Lead
Let me borrow a story from a healthcare chaplain and academic. Imagine yourself in a deep, dense wood surrounded by beautiful trees, together with lush green moss and plants. As you make your way along the meandering path, you hear the sounds of running water in the distance. Suddenly, in the clearing, there is a stream sparkling and the wonder of a waterfall. The sounds of the stream and the spray of the water falling on your face touches you: the beauty and peacefulness lift you. For a moment, unexpectedly, you are taken into a different, deeper dimension of experience; you are taken out of yourself. Being rational for a moment, you ask, ‘What is a waterfall?’ ‘Why did it affect me like this?’ So, you pick up a handy bucket, and scoop up water from the stream. In the bucket, there is H2O, and in the stream and in the waterfall there is H2O. Water is vital for life, but something has been lost between the waterfall experience and the bucket. The bucket cannot collect the awe of the waterfall. It is an experience you’ll never forget, and yet you cannot name it, explain it, repeat it, or create it yourself.
In addition to supporting our patients, both venues will host Ayrshire Hospice fundraising events throughout their respective partnerships. As part of these partnerships, both organisations will collaborate to raise awareness of the vital services and care provided by the Ayrshire Hospice. They will also support the charity’s fundraising efforts through discretionary donations from guests at their accommodation and restaurant offerings. Gordon Anthony, General Manager of The Park Hotel, said: “The Park Hotel is proud to be a Charity Partner of the Ayrshire Hospice. We hope to raise awareness for this great charity and the incredible services they provide. We look forward to contributing to their fundraising efforts throughout the year.” Nic Oldham, General Manager at Trump Turnberry , added: “Partnering with the Ayrshire Hospice is a privilege for all of us at Trump
non-religious and religious, we seek to listen deeply to personal stories. Spiritual care is a place for sharing intangible experiences, and thoughts about life that we don’t easily share. For patients and their families, illnesses, suffering, and death are intensely meaningful events, events which make people think about life and their lives differently. For staff, the pressures of working in palliative care can be, at times, overwhelming, not least because they are carried alongside the everyday pressures of personal life. Offering a safe, confidential, and relaxed space, we are here to listen, and let you breathe.
It is a fleeting moment, an experience, which is small,
insignificant, and yet it has enriched your life immeasurably. In short, we are so much more than our biology, as important as biology is. Spiritual care attends to what lies within us: to our lived experiences, our thoughts not shared, memories good and less good, our achievements and failures, our hopes, fears, losses, and the many gifts, strengths, and blessings that shape who we are. We are here for patients, their families, and all our staff and volunteers. We are here to journey with you in an open, compassionate, non-judgemental, and affirming way. Inclusive of different and varied perspectives,
Turnberry. The Hospice’s incredible work in providing compassionate care and support to individuals and families across our community is deeply inspiring. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to making a meaningful difference, and we look forward to working together to support their vital mission.”
April 2025 | EDITION 39
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