On 19th May, my father, Roy, left us after a long and brave fight against prostate cancer. Even though the pain of losing him is great, my family and I were able to be with him right up to the end; in his house, by his side.

When my father learned that his illness was terminal, one of the most important things that he stressed to us was that he wanted to go home to die; to be in the place where he'd spent his happiest times, with his family around him. So many people who are nearing the end understandably want this, but making it happen can place a great strain on close family who may end up providing care 24/7 without a break.

My sister and I took turns to sit overnight with dad, being there for him if he needed help. Often, if he was in pain, we'd have to call the district nurse and it may be an hour or more before they could get there to administer pain relief. By the morning, we'd be exhausted physically and mentally.

Hospice at Home provided nurses and care assistants who came and sat with dad, allowing us to get a night's sleep and through their training and experience, giving us the reassurance that they could deal with most problems and would alert us at once if we needed to be there. Their nurses are able to administer pain relief immediately without waiting for medical help to arrive, which was a huge weight off our minds. In short, they were a God-send.

In these sad times, so many people at end of life are sadly locked down in hospitals and care homes, when in many cases, they'd prefer to be at home. Hospice at Home give people the opportunity to spend their last days where they want to be and so much more, and we'd like to support them so that they can continue to do this.