Strathcarron Stories Podcast

For 45 years, Strathcarron Hospice has been at the heart of our communities, caring for thousands of patients and families across Forth Valley, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. To mark our 45th anniversary, we're launching a special podcast series, 45 Minutes With..., featuring the people who helped shape Strathcarron's story. Who better to begin with than our very first Matron, Molly Parsons? Joining Str...

What does it mean to have a place where you don’t need to explain your grief - where it’s simply understood? In this episode of Strathcarron Stories, we visit one of our local Snowdrop Cafés in Denny. Like all the local cafe's these are welcoming community spaces for people experiencing grief, loneliness and loss. Run by local volunteers and supported by our Compassionate Communities team, these g...

In this moving episode of Strathcarron Stories, Ailsa and Katy welcome poet Donna Ashworth and her lifelong friend Lynn Guthrie for their first-ever interview together. These friends share a deeply personal and uplifting conversation about love, grief, and the care Lynn’s mum received during her final days at Strathcarron Hospice’s Inpatient Unit.   Donna’s first-ever grief poem, “When You Say Goo...

🎤The new Strathcarron Stories Podcast is out now🎤 Education is a founding principal of the Hospice Movement and Strathcarron Hospice’s Annual Conference draws experts from around the world to speak and learn about the latest developments and learnings in palliative care in end of life care.    Our team at Strathcarron is passionate about learning and best practice and this episode we chat to gue...

Strathcarron, like all other local Hospices, is funded by the communities it serves. We are incredibly grateful to our generous supporters, without their donations, we just could not carry on. It is the local people like Kevin and Linda that we are speaking to today who fund their local Hospice by undertaking on remarkable challenges to raise money. We hear why they support Strathcarron, just befo...

The first week in November marks To Absent Friends, an annual festival of remembrance and story-telling created to give people a focal point in the year to gather together, tell stories, celebrate and reminisce about people they love who have died.   In this Strathcarron Stories Podcast episode, we are joined in conversation by the wonderful Sarah and Libby. They share a special friendship, which...

In this episode, we have such an interesting conversation with Margaret-Anne Garner, one of the lymphoedema specialists Lymphoedema Team. Margaret-Anne gives us insight into her own career path and how she got into supporting people with Lymphoedema and Lipoedema, as well as explaining more about how to identify these conditions and support local people living with them. As the only specialist  #l...

For one week in October, Hospice Care Week shines a spotlight on hospices, and the amazing staff.   We know YOU, our local community do incredible things to support Strathcarron – from donating to our shops, to running marathons. But hospices need more support from governments to be able to play their full part in meeting the challenges we face in the UK’s healthcare system. For the first time eve...

In this episode, we have a lovely chat with Mandy Malcolmson, the lead nurse of our Live Your Life team. Mandy shares the incredible journey of transforming palliative care through the Live Your Life Hospice service. Mandy recounts her experiences from managing 'daycare' services to adapting to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses how the team shifted from in-person daycare...

Welcome back to part two of our inspiring conversation with Laura. In this episode, Laura delves deeper into her own Secondary Breast Cancer diagnosis and shares her personal journey with our Live Your Life team. She opens up about the misconceptions around palliative care and how it has positively impacted her life. Laura also discusses her plans to create lasting memories with her daughter throu...

Join us for an as we sit down with Susan Bateman, the dedicated ward manager of our inpatient unit. Discover the intricacies of running a Hospice ward, the passion behind the care, and the personal journey that led Susan to this vital role. We delve into the misconceptions about hospice care, emphasizing that it's not just about the final moments but about enhancing the quality of life for patient...

Strathcarron’s Hospice at Home service celebrates double figures and is turning ten years old. Today, we chat to Denise Charity, the Lead Nurse for the service for the local Hospice charity providing specialist palliative and end of life care in the community. Denise shares her own personal story of why she chose to work in palliative care and provides us with an overview of the Hospice at Home se...

Today's Strathcarron Story is from the wonderful Laura.  Laura's sister died in Stratharron and now she is living with stage 4 incurable breast cancer. Her brother is also diagnosed with cancer too.  Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure. She is a beacon of positivity and light and we hope you enjoy the first part of her story. Laura is also being supported by our Live Your Lif...

The chief executive of Strathcarron Hospice is to retire this summer after 18 years at the helm.   Under her leadership, Irene McKie has helped the hospice significantly develop our services and income with a 74 per cent increase in patient referrals. In this episode, you'll hear an insight into her leadership, key moments over her time as CEO and more about her as a person.  As Irene retires toda...

By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron Hospice's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying.   The new Strathcarron Podcast, hosted by Ailsa (Communications Manager) and Ross (from IT) will see them out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting condition...