Hospital Foundation Donates Family Sleeper Beds for End-of-Life Care

It’s a sad fact of life that while hospitals are often places of joy and healing, they sometimes also are the place where people take their last breath.

When that time is imminent, it is important for patients and their families to be able to spend those precious last hours and minutes together.

This is where the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation has stepped in, using donated funds to buy a family chair/bed for the Renal and Respiratory Ward at Cairns Hospital.

Nurse Unit Manager Lynda Ackroyd said at any one time, they could have multiple palliative patients whose families wish to stay with them for their final stages.
“Accommodating a sleeper bed for the families of palliative patients in a hospital setting is crucial for providing patient-centred care. The presence of loved ones around the clock offers significant emotional support to the patient, helping alleviate anxiety and isolation during their final stage of life. For the family, having a comfortable, dedicated space to rest nearby allows them to remain close without the added stress of commuting or finding off-site accommodation, especially for our patients from the outer communities. It ensures they are present for important moments and medical updates,” Ms Ackroyd said.
“This constant presence aids in communication between the medical team and the family, as decisions and discussions can happen more fluidly.”
Until this donation, the ward only had a single sleeper available for families, which meant only one family could benefit at a time.
Thanks to community support, a second chair-bed has been installed, helping ease those last days for so many families now and into the future.

Photo: NUM Lynda Ackroyd, ward nurse Jeanne Johnson and Foundation Fundraising & Marketing Manager Jenny Coates.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service

#hospitalcare #familysupport #endoflife #communitydonation #patientcomfort