- Home
- Latest news
- Newsletters
- Events
- How you can help
- Fundraising
- Volunteering
- Gifts and legacies
- Shop for SHCT
- Corporate support
- About us
- Grant applications
- Thanks to you
An NHS charity.
Registered charity no: 1059043
Registered address:
5 Old Fulwood Road, Sheffield, S10 3TG
Helping to Lift Patient's Spirits
Thursday 9th July 2009
Caring Volunteer, Judith Dixon, is helping to raise patient’s spirits at Sheffield’s adult hospitals, thanks to a new scheme being supported by Sheffield Hospitals Charitable Trust.
Judith, aged 66 from Lodgemoor, reads to patients at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit every week as part of the hospitals ‘Zest Arts in Health Readers Project’, which was set up following the success of a reading group at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital’s Stroke Rehabilitation Unit.
Patients recovering from varying degrees of brain injury at the Northern General Hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, as well as patients at the on-going Stroke group, really look forward to the weekly reading sessions where they listen to news articles, poems and local favourites such as ‘Weerz me Dad’ by Fred Pass.
“The sessions encourage a fantastic response from patients. Memories are particularly triggered by the local stories and it’s great to listen to the patient’s reminiscing,” said Judith, who was awarded an MBE on the Queens’ Birthday Honours List for Services to Nursing in Sheffield in 1998.
“The project has allowed me to meet and share the life experiences of so many patients. I have learned a great deal, particularly about the way people overcome obstacles and accept issues in their lives. There have been several, magical moments, which I will always treasure. It is not always easy, but it is always worthwhile. Both groups not only enable patients to interact and share stories in a relaxed and comfortable environment, but also provide an opportunity for patients to offer support and encouragement to each other during a difficult and distressing period of their lives.”
Kerry Blackett, Arts co-ordinator at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The power of the arts within healthcare is often overlooked as a superficial issue but it is one of real significance to the quality of life within a hospital. Artistic activity exercises the imagination, stimulating people to escape the intensity of a clinical environment. Our aim is to create an environment to reflect the high level of care provided within the Trust and become a gateway between the healthcare and our local community.”