Cuddle Beds allow loved ones to be physically close and lay together, deepening connection and providing comfort.
Cuddle Beds offer patients and loved ones a compassionate approach to end-of-life care. Large patient beds, referred to warmly as ‘Cuddle Beds,’ can make a huge difference for palliative care patients and their families.
This compassionate approach to care can have a huge impact on patients who can often feel isolated, and provides family members with the opportunity to feel close in a hospital or hospice setting.
St John of God Murdoch Hospital is leading the way in Western Australia with this approach to care, being the first hospital to offer patients a Cuddle Bed during end-of-life care.
Karan Lane, a Nurse Unit Manager in the Oncology Ward at St John of God Murdoch Hospital, has been the driving force behind the Cuddle Bed project.
When Karan’s own mother passed away seven years ago, she longed for more meaningful, intimate connection during this time, so when she later discovered the use of larger hospital beds that could fit two or more people, she encouraged this style of care be adopted.