Gogglebox star cared for in her last days by Myton
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES ARE READY TO WELCOME PUPILS BACK SAFELY – AND THE BENEFITS TO THEIR WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH ARE HUGE
THE daughters of a woman who found fame on TV’S Gogglebox have praised the “warmth and kindness” of nurses at a Warwickshire hospice in her final days.
June Bernicoff was one half of the beloved couple June and Leon on the popular show.
Her daughters Helen and Julie described their mum as the linchpin of the family, who would always offer encouragement and support and had a common sense approach to life.
After Leon died, June moved to Warwickshire in October 2019 to be nearer to her daughter.
But around Christmas last year she began suffering with back pain. In April she was admitted to hospital where she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Myton Hospice provided care, with nurses visiting daily, and the hospice even offered support to Helen and Julie.
Helen said: “It was a very rapid decline after her short hospital stay. She moved in with me so I could care for her, the doctor telephoned weekly and the palliative care nurse got involved too. I was thankful to have her at home but it all became a lot easier when Myton got involved.”
“We both looked forward to the Myton at Home nurses’ daily visits.
“It was the little things they did which really made a big difference, like washing her hair, making her comfortable, and keeping the pain under control.
“They showed us how to move and turn her in bed without causing discomfort, and they were also honest about her deterioration.
“We also very much appreciated their warmth and kindness.”
Helen remembered how the Myton at Home team arranged for June to get a wheelchair so she could see the garden.
And they were open and honest so that, when she didn’t have long left, June’s granddaughter was able to travel to see her one last time.
Helen added: “The daily contact with the nurses was so important to us all. Mum was positive throughout the illness, and we followed her lead.
“The care Myton gave was very muchh ffor our whole family, and they even checked in with me after she died to see how I was doing.” June died on May 5 at home, with Helen by her side.
She said her mum remained strong, elegant and dignified, and that she will miss her mum’s presence, going out for a coffee or glass of wine with her and visiting the theatre.
Incredibly, the care June received from the Myton Hospice was carried out during the coronavirus pandemic.
A spokesman for the hospice said that, since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, at home services have been enhanced so that more people can spend their final days where they want to, and their loved ones can be supportive.
Find out more and donate to Myton Hospice at mytonhospice.org/appeal
It’s the start of a new term, and time for children across the country to return to nursery, school or college. Many parents, pupils and teachers are excited to get back into the routine and, although it’s understandable to have a few worries, the advantages of going back into education are clear.
Not only will pupils be learning again, but they’ll benefit from a sense of routine, the chance to see their friends and a boost to their wellbeing.
With new safety measures in place, things won’t look quite the same, but pupils will be guaranteed plenty of support from their teachers.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, the principal and chief e xe c utiv e of the Weston College Group in Somerset, is one of many leaders who has worked hard to make the learning environment a safe and welcoming one for returning students. “If you came into my campuses you’d see the one-way system, the sanitisers, the counselling service and the ability for us to check temperatures,” he says. “But behind all that are the individual learning plans for each student. That’s where the crucial planning really takes place. “We’ve increased the number of mental- health advisors and support workers, and we’ve put a massive investment into all levels of additional learning support at t utori al l e v el , mentoring and one-toone teaching.
“I ’ve doubled the amount of cleaners in the college too – I need to be assured that everything we do is protecting everyone.”
And parents li ke Clare Rushforth, mum to 11-year-old Lily, are grateful for the efforts schools have gone to with safety measures – especially with the about to move from primary to high school.
“They’ve got good hand-washing rules, and have put additional cleaning measures in place,” she says. “It’s quite a large school, but they’ve managed it so well, and their communication with parents has been amazing. They treat their students very much like their own children, and I’ve got faith that the school will keep everyone as safe as possible.
“Children need their education, to get back to learning and to get back into a routine,” she adds.
Home schooling hasn’t been easy and many parents are worried that their children have fallen behind, but parenting expert and author Dr Kalanit
Ben- Ari beli e ves t hey ’ l l catch up quickly, and getting back into the classroom will help them in other ways too.
“I ’m not worried about the academic gap, because I think kids will soon pick up. But it’s starting to affect their mental health, so it’s good that they will be back in school from September,” she explains.
“Children are not designed to sit down all day. They need to be out in the fresh air and moving their bodies. It’s so important for young people of all ages to communicate with their friends face to face.
“During lockdown, kids at home have been spending a long time on screens while parents are working, and
I need to be sure everything we do is protecting everyone
DR PAUL PHILLIPS
If I have any worries we are all helping each other
CHLOE WILLIAMS
often those parents don’t have the resources to entertain and teach their children. That increased screen time will have affected children’s mental health: it increases anxiety, especially with those who are more vulnerable to that.”
For Chloe Williams, a beauty therapy student at Weston College, Somerset, the return can’t come soon enough. “I feel ready to go for a long-awaited 2020, and seeing the new socially distanced facilities has been great,” she says.
“My tutors are very approachable if I have any worries, and we are all helping each other.”
Public Health England chief nurse Viv Bennett says: “Parents can be reassured that to maximise safety in schools, an extremely st r i ngent system of controls has been advised by PHE and is published in Department for Education guidance. Evidence so far indicates that schools do not appear to be a primary driver of coronavirus infections in the community. Globally, children and young people have been found to experience coronavirus asymptomatically or as a minor illness.”
The Government’s new Wellbeing for Education Return package has training and resources for teachers and young people to protect their wellbeing and mental health. Now the NHS Test and Trace system is up and running, and there’s more understanding about how we can stay safer. Children should stay at home if they have symptoms such as a fever, continuous cough or loss of taste and smell. If there is an outbreak at a school or college, local health protection teams will work with staff to agree what action is needed. Schools shouldn’t need to close fully, but if they do there’ll be a contingency plan in place to make sure children’s education continues.
Kids need to communicate with friends face to face
DR KALANIT BEN-ARI