Lions Club Together to help desperate families!

Lions Club Together to help desperate families!

A desperate call from a lady in the West Riding, whose father was critically ill in Scarborough Hospital, asked if Lions could put a tablet on the ward so she could see and speak to him.

Responding to the appeal, Lions Clubs in the York Hospital Trust catchment area quickly rallied together and with the help of a grant from Lions International, purchased 14 Tablets for use by Covid-19 patients under the care of the Trust (donated to York / Scarborough / Bridlington and Selby hospitals).

After Covid-19, they will still be available for friends and families to chat to their inpatient loved ones.

In response to our actions, we received the following letter of appreciation from Sharon, the lady who requested our support:

“I cannot stress how much it meant to me and my brother to be able to speak and joke with my dad in his final week. My brother is in Australia and I am living a long drive away. We zoomed daily best we could and on dads last day we both managed to zoom together to visit for 40 minutes. The nurses reassured us he could hear and he even tried to respond when my brother tried to wind him up about Leeds United. He looked comfortable and peaceful and passed away about an hour later with the nurse holding his hand. 

It was extremely heart breaking but being able to zoom has left us feel comfortable and peaceful that he heard our voices before he left us. 

The comfort of hearing loved ones voices can happen for others too now.

It was all inspired by a very kind doctor who used his own phone back in March that put the idea in my head. A lot of elderly do not use modern iPhones and wouldn’t have a clue but having tablets on the ward can give the staff the opportunity to call and zoom with members of family that can. 

Hopefully this is a way forward in hospitals and care homes and families can stay in touch even more now.”  Sharon.

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