Thanks to our amazing donors, our Christmas Appeal, Present for Patients, raised funds to provide care packages and treats for all our patients who were at Mildmay over Christmas.
But not only that! Here is Sheila, our Housing Officer, organising the household goods, clothing and basic groceries into care packages for the people leaving Mildmay and setting up or returning home.
The majority of our patients come from challenging socio-economic backgrounds and experience problems with a disability, housing, financial hardship and welfare support. Our experienced social work team are able to help them to access the help they need and reduce the stress that such problems cause to people who already have significant health issues.
Many of our patients find their benefits are stopped whilst in hospital and this can often take a long time to resolve, exacerbated by the fact that they may have no access to their post for months at a time. Another issue for patients is a lack of appropriate clothing or toiletries, especially if they come into the hospital suddenly. Additionally, many patients have issues with incontinence and so require replacement clothing to minimise the distress this can cause when patients have accidents
on the ward or while participating in rehabilitation.
Furthermore, lack of personal funds means patients are unable to meet their basic needs such as food and toiletries, travel to their next care placement or credit to contact family and friends on an international level. Mildmay is able to offer specialist care and rehabilitation programmes to enable the great majority of our patients to live independently at home and better manage their condition. We are committed to treating our patients as individuals and supporting them to take significant steps to improve their long-term health, well-being and independence.
However, as a charitable organisation, we are unable to provide our patients with additional financial assistance, meaning dire financial hardship can inhibit their return to health and make social circumstances even worse. Our donors help us to alleviate crises and significantly improve circumstances for the vulnerable people in our care.