Patient honoured with therapy garden makeover
A therapy garden at Moseley Hall Hospital has had a colourful makeover thanks to the family of a former patient who passed away in the care of the Ward 9 team.
Lee Keeley, of King’s Norton, died in March at the age of 44 after being transferred to the inpatient neurorehabilitation unit from acute care, during which complications had arisen following a routine surgical procedure.
Sadly, Lee’s condition did not improve and he was moved into a private room during his final weeks so that the team could best support the family as his care became palliative.
Lee’s sister Michelle Hart said: “We just wanted to say ‘thank you’ to everyone on Ward 9 for the care Lee received and also the support we received as a family.
“We wanted them to be aware how grateful we are that they treated Lee with such dignity. Betwe en us as a family, we were there all day, every day and so you get a true sense of what a ward is really like.
“Caring for people with a brain injury, and understanding their needs, must be very difficult; but we knew he was being treated with huge dignity and compassion.”
Michelle explained that the family would often go out into the INRU garden and noticed it could benefit from a little TLC!
“They were having a refurb in the ward at the time and it looks fantastic; but the garden, while being a great outdoor space for patients and visitors, looked like it could do with a bit of work.
“So, we decided to make a day of it, get it weeded and tidied up – in Lee’s memory and as a ‘thank you’ to the wonderful team of therapists and nurses in Ward 9.”
Michelle said that £1,000 raised in Lee’s funeral collection was divided equally between INRU and the Williams Syndrome Association. Friends and local businesses, including the Redditch branches of B&Q and Lidl, helped the effort with donations for plants and compost.
Occupational therapist Ruth Banner said: “We’re so grateful to Lee’s family for this lovely gesture. It was an honour to look after him in his final days and support his family. Inevitably, quite a strong bond develops between the family and the therapists and ward team.
“It’s very gratifying to know they felt well supported and cared for at such a difficult time.”
