Companion service maps success of volunteer work
AN INNOVATIVE service run by East Cheshire Hospice has won a poster competition at the recent Hospice UK national conference.
The poster was designed to showcase the work of the Community Dementia Companion service, a volunteer-led project that matches companions with people in the community who have dementia.
The scheme was launched earlier this year and now has nine volunteers who regularly visit their chosen companion either in their home or on visits in the community.
Project lead, Dr Claire Halsey, says she was thrilled and delighted to win the competition.
Designed by Claire – along with Dawn Lawton, one of the volunteers, and Lynn Deakin, a service user – the poster was one of 293 on display at the annual flagship conference.
“The idea behind the poster was to highlight how our service extends care into the community, helping to build important relationships between people with dementia, carers and hospice services,” said Claire.
“We designed it to show the volunteers’ journey, the service users’ experience and the outcomes of the service.”
All the posters were displayed to the 900 delegates over the three days of the conference at Liverpool Arena and Conference Centre and the winning poster was announced at the closing session by Hospice UK chief executive, Tracey Bleakley. “We were delighted to win and see it as an accolade for the Community Dementia Companion service,” said Claire. “Although still in its early stages, the service is an example of innovation in hospice enabled dementia care, with the potential to improve the lives of those with dementia and their carers, use volunteers well and increase familiarity with other hospice services.”
The prize in the competition is a year’s free subscription to the BMJ journal, ‘Supportive and Palliative Care.’