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Gloucestershire Business News

Zurich UK employees support Sue Ryder with two charity challenges

Zurich UK employees have chosen to support patients and staff at a Gloucestershire Sue Ryder Hospice by completing two charity challenges, donating special clocks to support patients with dementia and thanking hospice frontline workers with individual afternoon cream teas.

Every summer and Christmas Zurich employees are presented with a series of charity challenges through the Zurich Community Trust, with different teams picking up challenges to fulfil and give back to the local community.

Employees are given a budget of £500 for each challenge, and this summer big-hearted Zurich employees chose two challenges supporting patients cared for at their local Sue Ryder Hospice, and thanking the hospice teams that care for them too.

Leanne Rogers, Claims Technical Consultant in the Claims Policy Team who lives in Gloucester, wanted to donate dementia clocks to support patients with dementia being cared for at the hospice. She said, "Something as simple as telling the time and knowing if it is morning or evening is something we can take for granted, but it can be difficult for people with dementia. That's why we chose to source 13 dementia clocks for the hospice, which is a useful tool that has been specially designed to suit the needs of those with dementia, helping patients stay orientated and tell the time when they are unable to use regular clocks effectively."

Receiving the clocks, Graham Stubbs, head of Clinical Services at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice said: "For people with dementia, a calendar-clock is more than a convenience; it is an anchor. In early stages of dementia, it's easy to lose track of time. In the middle stages of Alzheimer's, a loved one may frequently drift into the past.

"A clock-calendar keeps a person with dementia oriented and in the present.

"Serious memory loss can result in the repeated asking of, "What time is it?" or "What day is today?" Calendar-clocks always have the answer. They are patient and ever-convenient, no matter how quickly and no matter how often a person forgets.

"Calendar-clocks prominently display the month, day, date and time. Some also add the year, which can be helpful when a loved one gets lost in the past. We'd like to share our thanks to the team at Zurich for their donation, which will make a difference to patients in our care."

For their second charity challenge, Zurich employees chose to say thank you to hospice frontline staff who have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic.

Jane Smith, personal assistant, UK Pensions & Benefits Team at Zurich who lives in the Gloucestershire area, said: "It's been a tough time for so many people and we wanted to support a challenge to say thank you to the frontline heroes at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice."

"That's why we chose to organise for individually wrapped "afternoon teas in a box" to be delivered to the hospice for employees to enjoy complete with cakes, scones, jam, cream, plates, napkins and bunting."

Lydia Gray, a Sue Ryder nurse, was one of the employees receiving an afternoon tea. She said: "I know when I speak for everyone at the hospice when I say how touched we are by the kindness shown by Zurich. We all work different shift patterns, so the individually boxed afternoon teas mean the treat will be enjoyed by all, no matter what shift employees are on.

"The past year has been really tough for everyone, with many families experiencing loss. We've done all we can to continue to be there for patients and families at the most difficult time of their lives, taking away some of the tough things that come with losing a loved one. We're really grateful to the Zurich Community Trust and the employees from Zurich for their afternoon tea packages - it's such a lovely pick me up."

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