The Living Well Centre gives people with life-limiting conditions, and their carers, the opportunity to spend an enjoyable, activity based or relaxing day at the Hospice. Laughter and chatter can often be heard from our guests who attend the Living Well Centre.
We're open to referrals
We’re welcoming new referrals to our Living Well Centre.
You can be referred by any health care professional at any stage of your diagnosis. Our care is free and available to adults in County Durham. If you’re unsure that you meet our criteria then just give us a ring. We’d be happy to chat to you. 0191 386 1170 option 3.
The Living Well Centre gives people with life-limiting conditions, and their carers, the opportunity to spend an enjoyable, activity based or relaxing day at the Hospice. Laughter and chatter can often be heard from our guests who attend the Living Well Centre. We work with guests attending Living Well Centre to learn about their individual needs and develop a personalised programme of support. This is usually for an initial 12 week period and is based on individual aims and goals.
Those attending can take part in a range of activities. These may help manage symptoms, improve mobility and independence. Guests can access therapeutic care, physiotherapy and complementary therapies, such as reiki or reflexology. Some sessions are one-to-one and others are delivered as part of a group. Once guests have achieved their goals our teams can help plan for continued care in the community.
It really isn't what you expect it to be like. Just give it a go. It's changed my life coming here, and could change yours for the better too.
The Sycamore Room is a large bright airy space with wooden floors, soft furnishings and lots of windows for natural light. We use this space for dancing, yoga, creative writing groups, sporting memories sessions and much more. The Hawthorn Room is suited to sound therapy sessions, art classes and advice sessions.
The Hub is a great space for a good chat. The room has lots of modern sofas, cosy chairs and plenty of side tables to rest a cuppa and biscuit on. Natural light pours in from the large ceiling windows.
We have a dedicated gym space for gentle exercise groups.
Three relaxing therapy rooms are available and many of our guests describe them a bit like being at a spa. Here you could have a head massage, reiki session or even a blood transfusion in a calming quiet space.
I had no idea what this place would be like. I thought it would be all doom and gloom but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The staff and volunteers are incredible and everyone is so positive. The place is full of laughter.
All therapies are given alongside conventional medical treatment. They can help you to feel more relaxed or sleep better, and can even help relieve pain and improve energy levels. The benefits of attending The Living Well Centre may include improved symptom management, greater independence and the confidence to plan for the future.
Therapy groups currently on offer:
- Therapeutic Craft Group – a 12 week programme using craft to improve wellbeing.
- Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) – CST is a type of treatment for people with mild to moderate dementia. This 10 week program supports people with a dementia diagnosis to take a trip down memory lane and to participate in activities that encourage thought processes and social interaction.
- Creative Writing – a group to explore memories and feelings in a light hearted way, or to simply get creative and write a work of fiction. The group often begins with a word game or task to get the imagination going. This could be something as simple as picking words out from a hat as a starting point. There is opportunity to share your stories with the group which can often spark common memories and discussion between group members.
- Strength and Balance – the exercises covered during this six week program are particularly important for those who have had a period in hospital, a recent fall or feel they are losing strength and mobility.
- Sporting Memories Group – a wellbeing group, for people with an interest in sports, a group of people with mixed abilities and it is Dementia friendly.
- Complementary Therapies – a maximum of six sessions of therapies including reiki, foot massage and acupuncture are delivered by our qualified therapists. These sessions can help to relieve physical and psychological symptoms and aid in the management of pain, mobility, depression, anxiety and stress.
- Fatigue, Anxiety & Breathlessness (FAB) – an eight-week course led by our Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist, encouraging people to make positive changes to cope with tiredness, anxious feelings and feelings of breathlessness.
Find out more
We've included a few of our leaflets which give you more information on some of the sessions we have on offer in the Living Well Centre. Click the links to download them below.
Who can attend?
We welcome guests to attend at all stages of their illness; when newly diagnosed, in treatment, living with symptoms of their illness and when requiring specialist care and advice. Referrals to The Living Well Centre can be made by any healthcare professional. There is no charge for our care thanks to donations, legacies, events and other gifts. Our generous community of supporters cover over 60% of our running costs, meaning St Cuthbert’s Hospice care is free to all who need it.
Our coronavirus precautions
We ask visitors not to attend the Hospice if they are displaying symptoms of coronavirus. Any attendances would be rescheduled. For more information, please speak to Living Well Centre staff 0191 386 1170 option 3.
Contact us
If you would like more information about attending or would like to arrange to have a little look around, please contact 0191 386 1170 option 3. We’d love to hear from you.
