How to support a good death

Julie Bateman feels special being a Hospice at Home nurse. And she helps to make her patients’ final moments special too. ‘I carry out their last offices. I give them a little wash, dress them in their favourite nightclothes, and spray on their favourite perfume or aftershave. If they have a particular soft toy that they love, I place it with them.

‘I care very deeply about doing these last things for them. When I leave their room, they look just like they’re asleep. When I leave their house, leaving their families to spend those last moments with them before the funeral director arrives, I feel fulfilled – that I have achieved something very special for all of them.’