A Special Visit to Ty Hafan Children's Hospice & How you can help!

Today, my husband and I were very privileged to have the opportunity to visit Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice.

Ty Hafan are currently running a precious moments campaign which you can read all about here.

Ty Hafan is one of the UK’s leading paediatric palliative care charities and offers care to children and support for their families, throughout Wales.

It’s not a place that simply provides a place where children go to die. That’s actually very far from the truth. They offer comfort, care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families in the hospice, in the community and in their homes so that they can make the most of the time that they have left together.

Parents and carers can relax and recharge their batteries while the wonderful staff at Ty Hafan make sure that the needs of brothers and sisters are never forgotten.

When we arrived we were greeted by Bethan, who has been working for Ty Hafan for just four weeks, yet it’s clear to see how passionate she and the rest of the staff are about the families who use their services.

We were shown around by Jenna who is friendly and very informative. The first area we visit is the bedrooms. Upstairs are the family rooms and downstairs are the children’s rooms. Parents can chose to share a room or have separate rooms. Separate rooms allow the parents much needed rest, but in addition to that parents are reassured and comforted knowing that their children are being well looked after.

We didn’t go in the bedrooms as they were in use, but Jenna advised us that they like to decorate the rooms in the way the children like so that they can make it their own. They like to keep the rooms the same for each child between visits which provides familiarity and a sense of comfort.

One thing Jenna mentioned was that they don’t use hospital cleaning fluids because they don’t want the hospice to smell like a hospital. The housekeepers take real pride in their jobs and ensure that each room is immaculate and to hotel standards.

Next up was the family room. It was in use so we didn’t go in, but through the double doors we could see a spacious room which had comfortable sofas in (all of which have been donated), a Christmas tree, a pool table and more. There was also a balcony which has a beautiful view of the sea.

We then went downstairs where we walked down a corridor which had hundreds of pictures on the walls of the families and their children. The staff at Ty Hafan take pictures, but also encourage the families to do so as well. This ties in with their precious moments campaign.

On the same corridor is a den. This area is aimed at the older children, such as the teenagers who wanted a space that was a bit more grown up for them. Inside this room is a games console which gives them the opportunity to do what a lot of teenagers like doing – play video games!

On the walls are the hand prints of all of the families who have ever been to Ty Hafan. Ty Hafan opened in 1999 and the handprints of the very first families are still on the walls. I did get a bit teary eyed at one point when I saw the tiny, blue footprints of a baby/young child.

The care unit was just ahead, but we didn’t go into this area as it was in use.

The next area we saw was the state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool, which was opened by one of Ty Hafan’s celebrity ambassadors, Leigh Halfpenny. The hydrotherapy pool provides life-limited children, young people and their families with a fantastic environment for therapy, communication, socialisation and play. It’s fully equipped with disco and sensory lights as well as speakers for music, and also includes hoists to help children enter and exit the pool.

Next up was the music room which was full of various musical instruments. We saw two children there during our visit. One playing the drums and another playing a piano. Jenna also told us that they even have one machine there which allows children to create music simply by blinking. A great way to give every child the opportunity to make music.

The craft room is a totally wipe clean room which means children can make as much mess as they want too. Children in wheelchairs can also create ‘wheelchair art’ by driving their wheelchairs over canvases covered in paint. There was an example on the wall and it looked fantastic!

We then walked to the canteen which was a lovely open space. Talking of food, parents do have a kitchen available to them should they need to make use of it. Looking out of the canteen window I could see a play area for the children.

The play area is designed for children of all capabilities. Jenna explained that they wanted to give the children an element of risk which is why a wheelchair race track was painted onto the floor. There was a specially adapted swing for wheelchair users, as well as a trampolines which were also specifically designed for wheelchair users. Not only is this a fantastic area for the children who are being cared for at Ty Hafan, but it also allows siblings to play together too. Jenna explained that a child can share the joy of bouncing up and down on the trampoline with their siblings who are in a wheelchair.

After our visit today I think it’s fair to say that Ty Hafan is certainly a remarkable place. One of the most shocking things for me was hearing that they only receive 4% government funding. The remaining 96% is raised by the general public.

There are plenty of ways that you can get involved and help raise money for Ty Hafan.

You can make a regular or one off donation online. Just to give you some perspective £10 a month could pay for a session of music therapy at the home, helping a life-limited child to express themselves, improve their co-ordination and relax.

You can also fundraise for Ty Hafan. For some fundraising ideas click here.

In addition to making a donation or fundraising, Ty Hafan have hundreds of fantastic fundraising events throughout the year. You could take part in an official Ty Hafan event such as their Midnight Sleep Walk.

For more ways in which you can support Ty Hafan please click here.