Isabel Hospice’s face-to-face Living Well with Isabel programme has resumed in Bishop’s Stortford – two years after services had to be moved online because of the pandemic.
We have relocated our community hub to the newly renovated Bishop’s Stortford Methodist Church in South Street; an ideal town centre location that will help us raise awareness of our work in the area.
Prior to the coronavirus crisis, the we had been running our Living Well with Isabel outpatients service at the Barnabas Centre in Thorley.
The move to the Methodist Church complex, which offers an accessible entrance and lounge as well as a functional cafe area, will bring our in-person Wellbeing Course, nurse-led clinics, support groups and therapies back under one roof.
Our Living Well manager Karen Bell said: “We are so pleased to be back delivering our specialist support to those living in Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and the surrounding villages and look forward to being able to make a positive difference to the lives of local people who are living with a life-limiting condition, and their loved ones.
“The refurbished Methodist Church complex is the ideal venue to deliver our outreach services and being in the centre of Bishop’s Stortford will help raise awareness of the type of help and support Isabel Hospice is able to offer to people in this part of eastern Hertfordshire.”
The six-week Wellbeing Course runs from 10am to 1pm in the Wesley Hall. It is specifically designed for people who are newly diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, or with a change in condition. The sessions are led by a nurse with the aim of enhancing physical, psychological, emotional and social wellbeing. This includes discussions on symptom management, practical issues, maintaining independence and advance care planning. Activities include seated exercise, adapted Tai Chi and relaxation alongside a wellbeing therapy such as horticulture or creative crafts.
We have also taken the opportunity to launch Stortford’s first Compassionate Café, which runs every Wednesday from 10.30am to 12,30pm in the Oasis Lounge. The cafe is open to all, including the general public, as well as patients under the Living Well or bereavement teams, and for those feeling lonely or experiencing social isolation who have been referred via Compassionate Neighbours. Each week, our specially trained Compassionate Neighbours will be on hand for a friendly chat over a cup of tea and a cake.
For more information about the Living Well with Isabel wellbeing course or the Compassionate Cafe, visit isabelhospice.org.uk or call the team on 07593 137359.
