Hospice creates gifts to help people feel connected during Covid-19

Like other hospices around the country, when the Covid-19 outbreak began The Myton Hospices in Warwickshire had to make the difficult decision to limit visitors. This led the hospice to come up with alternative ways for patients and their loved ones to feel connected while they couldn’t be together.

The hospice’s doctors and nurses settled on the idea of giving people something to hold in their hand to feel connected to family and friends that could also be a lasting keepsake after the person has died.  The Myton logo features a butterfly, a symbol representing hope and spirit that’s synonymous with hospice care, so this became an obvious choice.

Dr Jo Poultney explained the concept to Warwick designer Carsten Astheimer who created a small, polished metal butterfly. He also set up a JustGiving page and raised £1,295 in just a few days, writing: “I am giving my time freely and hoping, with your support, to raise enough money to cover the cost of the materials. I hope that you will be able to make a donation to support this incredible local cause.” The butterflies are presented in gift boxes made by local company The Box Factory.

Another challenge for frontline staff is not being able to comfort families in the usual way by holding their hand or giving them a hug. To tackle this, Myton created a ‘hug card’ to give people along with the metal butterfly, as an alternative to giving a real hug. The card also outlines the post-bereavement support on offer for families whose loved ones have died at the hospice.

Jo said: “We hope the cards and butterflies provide a small comfort to people going through the most difficult time imaginable, and serve as a reminder that Myton will always be there for them. We are really grateful to The Box Factory, to Carsten and everyone who donated to his JustGiving page for helping to make this possible – thank you.”  

For more information visit The Myton Hospices