Paula Perera has volunteered for Martlets for more than ten years, driving patients to appointments, helping in the hospice café and serving much-needed cups of tea on our Inpatient Unit. She has also used our Will Writing Service and has left a bequest to the hospice.
I feel that, by being a volunteer, I can make a difference to someone else’s life. Often it’s just a smile or a kind word but that’s what it’s all about.
I’m also a volunteer community visitor, so I visit a patient in their own home once a week and am their listening ear. I don’t give advice, I’m not qualified to do that, I just listen and allow them to talk. It’s a real support for the patient, being able to unburden themselves, but it’s also good for the family too because they know that they can leave their relative with me and they’ll be safe. I guess it’s like a befriending service; it’s very worthwhile and I find it very satisfying.
I know patients & families get the very best care
Sadly, my son was diagnosed with motor neurone disease one year ago, so he’s now under the Day Services team at Martlets. He has regular check-ups at the hospice and his family has been offered various therapies; I know that they will get the very best care and that more help is here if he needs it. I’ve needed to use the service myself, to talk to the nurses and the chaplain, and I found them to be so kind – they’ve always got lots of time to listen.
As a community, we’re lucky to have Martlets; it’s there for us – the people of Brighton & Hove and the surrounding areas. The hospice provides care that you just wouldn’t find anywhere else; there is a serenity here that gives people an inner strength. You’re not just a patient, you’re a person.
I see the amazing things that everyone does here to make peoples’ lives more comfortable. They look after the families as well as the patients and that’s such very important work that must continue, which is why I’ve left some money to Martlets in my will.
Why I used the hospice’s Will Writing Service
I decided to use the hospice’s Will Writing Service because it wasn’t expensive and I knew that every penny of the fee that I paid to make my will would go to Martlets. It was really simple to do, I knew who I wanted to see and I just got in touch with them to arrange everything.
I feel very proud to be able to leave something in my will to the hospice; I care about my community and would like my gift to be used to make someone’s life easier. I hope that it can be used to support someone who is in need of the help of the hospice’s wonderful team so that it makes a real difference to their life.
Find out more
- Take part in Will Writing Fortnight 2019
- Discover how you can volunteer with us