Supporting end of life care and bereavement for patients and their families

Supporting grief through memory making

Memory-making resources such as fingerprint keepsakes, memory bears, and hearts were introduced as part of a pilot programme by Mersey Care’s district nursing teams. These items offer comfort and emotional support to patients and their families during end-of-life care, aiding the grieving process while also enhancing staff confidence in delivering compassionate care.

Speaking about the impact of the memory box items, a district nurse noted:

“The range of keepsakes were left with the family so they could decide which items they would like. Quite a few family members were interested in the items, with memory bears and hearts gifted to them. We created fingerprint keepsakes with them onto wooden hearts which turned out really well. The family really loved them – it was really positive experience for them during such a difficult time.”

Collaboration with the Palliative Care Team to design bespoke cards to support families

We worked with the Palliative Care Team to design a collection of bespoke bereavement cards for adults and children to support emotional expression, offer comfort, and help individuals feel seen and understood during times of loss. The team worked with the charity and our Mersey Care design team at every step of the way to produce a range of meaningful cards with a heartfelt personal touch. 

Inside the cards is a blank space for staff to write their own words and on the reverse is a message of support and a telephone number for them to contact the team if they are struggling. 

Deputy Associate Director of Nursing & Patient Experience, Deborah Tubey, said:

“ When a loved one or someone important to you has died, it is often difficult to find the right words. The development of the Trust bereavement cards has been a wonderful piece of work ,clinically led by our amazing Specialist palliative care and Community nursing teams for adults and children. The cards provide a compassionate approach to bereavement signifying the end of their nursing care with our services and enables the clinical colleagues involved to deliver a compassionate and person-centred approach to the end of that care journey. Thanks to all the team at Mersey Care charity for supporting this worthwhile project"

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