3 January 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
A legendary GAA medic has helped bring increased comfort to cancer patients in their final days through a major hospital ward renovation project.
Dr Con Murphy spearheaded a series of fundraisers which raised over €300,000, enabling a major overhaul of the oncology unit at Cork University Hospital.
The funds, channelled through the hospital’s fundraising arm, CUH Charity, have created a Comfort Care Suite for end-of-life patients with a separate sleeping area and kitchen for relatives, a family room and a youth room.
Now it is hoped the five-month project, designed and supervised by staff at EZ Living Interiors, can be replicated on other wards at the Wilton campus.
Dr Con Murphy with Mairead Lyons, centre, end-of-life Care Co-ordinator with CUH and Aimee O’Donovan, Regional Visual Merchandising Manager with EZ Living Interiors. Pic: Brian Lougheed.
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Dr Con Murphy with Mairead Lyons, end-of-life Care Co-ordinator at CUH, in one of the three newly renovated rooms at CUH. Pic: Brian Lougheed.
Máiréad Lyons, the end-of-life Care Co-ordinator at CUH, said the initiative involved “vision, commitment and a shared goal” to enhance end-of-life care.
“It is the first of its kind at CUH, borne out of a commitment to improve the hospital environment, ensuring increased comfort for patients who are in their final days and weeks of life, and also for their loved ones,” she said.
The Comfort Care Suite, once a single-patient room clinical environment, has been transformed into a homely sanctuary, while the patients’ room now has an adjoining private family room with overnight accommodation and a kitchenette.
The Family Room has become a quiet space where patients and relatives can relax or talk away from the intensity of the hospital setting.
The Youth Room, in contrast, is a vibrant area, allowing teens and young adults the opportunity for a temporary escape from the clinical environment to find solace in activities that allow them to recharge.
“We need to continue to allow families every opportunity to be together as they navigate their end-of-life care journey and we hope the Comfort Care Suite will provide this for many years to come,” said Ms Lyons.
Retired GP Dr Murphy, physician to Cork GAA for over four decades, said the transformation provided “a lovely addition” to the hospital.
He praised his legion of GAA contacts, who rowed in behind the mammoth fundraising effort, supporting three golf outings and a host of other events.
“We’re delighted with the result, but I think we need a few more of them, possibly on every floor, so we’re not finished yet,” he said.
The overhaul was overseen by Aimee O’Donovan of EZ Living Interiors, whose staff gave their time free of charge during the re-design and renovation.
The firm’s Marketing Communications Manager, Laura O’Keeffe, said it was privileged to be involved in the community-based project in its 25th year in business.
“CUH touches many people’s hearts in Cork and throughout Munster and we were really happy to be associated with it,” she said.