Keech hits TV screens and busts hospice myths
You may have seen Beds-based Keech Hospice on your TV recently. A national advert for hospice care, filmed in part at Keech, is running this month. The campaign, backed by hospices nationwide, shows the breadth of people supported by hospices and how gifts in wills are essential to sustaining this vital care.
Many people think hospices are only for the very end of life, but Keech Hospice provides free care for adults in Bedfordshire, and for children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes with a life-limiting illness from the point of diagnosis.
Liz Searle, CEO of Keech Hospice, explains: “Our care includes complementary therapies, respite for carers, art and fitness workshops, and support groups for patients and family members. Families come to Keech to use our hydrotherapy pool, to take part in toddler playgroups, and for regular physio appointments.
“People we support are all ages, from the very young — even those waiting to be born — to the very old. Our challenge is making sure our community understands the full breadth of services we provide, and that we’re not just here for the last weeks of life. Leaving a gift in your will is one of the most powerful ways you can help to make sure that we can keep caring for families into the future.”
Patient case study
John Almand has lived 10 minutes from Keech for years but had very little idea about everything the hospice did. Now John attends Keech for weekly blood donations:
“They [the hospital] asked if we wanted to go to Keech and I’m glad we did. “It’s just down the road. And you don’t have to pay for parking! But more than that, it’s the experience — quiet, one-to-one. You even get lunch! When I leave, I feel revitalised. Everyone’s on first-name terms. You feel like you matter.”
Life-saving legacies
It costs Keech £8 million a year to provide its free specialist care, yet only 30% of its funding comes from the government. The rest has to be raised through fundraising and legacies. Legacy gifts are especially vital, funding the care of one in five patients each year.
Find out more about how to leave a gift to Keech Hospice in your will here.