We want to make every day special for the child
anything up to 18 months. Evelyn says taking CHAS’s services into hospitals and working with the NHS can help raise awareness of what’s on offer to the families in their hour of need. She said: “Bringing them to Rachel House and showing them the care we can provide is something special. “I feel like my shoulders drop a little when I walk through the door and that’s the same for the families, too. “They have come from a clinical environment and a lot say coming here is like coming home. I don’t talk about it as a hospice, but as a house. “It changes people’s perception of palliative care.” ALISON Blair said she is honoured to work alongside the inspirational and courageous children who come through the doors at Rachel House.
The activities coordinator provides moments of happiness and respite for the whole family.
From arranging trips to the zoo and music festivals to running music and art sessions, Alison provides a play programme tailored to suit each child’s needs.
The 54-year-old, from St Andrews, said: “As soon as a child is referred to CHAS, I find out as much as I can.
“It’s important to know what they like, dislike, how they communicate and move. Everything is arranged to suit the child.
“We want to make every day special for the child and their family, too.
“One youngster had challenging physical disabilities. He was desperate to go skiing, so we arranged for a specially adapted toboggan to take him down the slopes.
“He loved it so much and I’ll never forget the joy it brought him.
“His mum had tears in her eyes because she never thought he would get the chance to do that.”
Alison, who has worked at Rachel House for 21 years, believes it’s important to make each visit to the hospice as memorable as possible for the children and their families.
She said: “Kids don’t just come here to die. Some come for months or years and get so much out of the hospice.
“There’s plenty of moments filled with joy and that’s what we strive for.
“We get to know the families well and seeing the happiness CHAS brings to them is just wonderful.”
Alison also helps children to prepare for the day that their brother or sister will die by giving them the skills to face it with courage and strength.
She said: “We have activities to help them build resilience and identify coping mechanisms to use when they need them.
“It helps children to know who they would talk to when they feel upset and shows them that they have a network of people they can turn to.
“We also encourage them to do things that make them feel better or that they are good at, such as music or playing football, which gives them an inner strength.
“I feel very blessed to work in such a caring environment.
“When I see how happy some of the children are, it really puts everything into perspective.”
Seeing the happiness that CHAS bring the families is just wonderful ALISON BLAIR