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The day to day running of the guest house has been able to benefit from the previous experience of the very first houses that opened in Belgium some time ago.
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Here’s how it all works.
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The guest house is usually located close to the hospital, as its proximity reassure both patients and their relatives, with the added benefit that it gives the families the opportunity to relax should they feel the need to do so.
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It is foremost a family home, not a hotel: special care is taken to provide hospitality and to encourage mutual support. The rooms are not luxurious; residents do their own house-keeping and participate in the general maintenance of the house whenever possible. Two people share a room, not always necessarily from the same family, as no single rooms are available.
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The cost is kept at a minimum to ensure that these lodgings are within reach of everybody. Financial problems should not prevent anyone from coming: solutions are sought with the help of the hospital’s social service for those with difficulties.
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The guest house is also community driven, which is an essential part of its activity: gathering people together is encouraged in every way. Who better than a person experiencing the same situation to understand and support you? There is a sense of solidarity resulting in friendships. The speed at which barriers fall between residents is astonishing: differences such as social background, age, nationality or other, all fade when faced with the shared experience of a loved one in hospital
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Independence and initiative are also on the agenda of the house: each resident is given a key so that relatives can go about their business as they see fit.
Most people spending long hours at the bedside of their loved ones often complain of having nothing to do, which is why everyone feels good taking part in the daily running of the house, as it keeps them busy.
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The home is run by volunteers, thus limiting unnecessary expenditure to make it affordable to everyone. A team of around twenty people share, one or twice a week, the morning, afternoon or evening shift.
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Their training is mainly focused upon developing their listening skills and concentrating their attention entirely on their guest. They learn to enquire about how they feel and to let them talk about their worries, their feelings of guilt or helplessness.
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The art of listening goes beyond the subject at hand. It is most important that the whole personality is considered. All too often, the people taking care of their loved ones have been uprooted from their normal lives and occupations, separated from other members of their family and neighbours; it is good for them to talk.
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We must insist upon the distinction between a hospital and a guest house. The guest house is in no way a substitut or extension of the role played by hospitals. The capacity of volunteers is not to talk about patients, doctors or treatments, but to encourage them to ask doctors the questions that bother them.
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The purpose of the guest house Porte de Hal is twofold: to provide lodgings for relatives and to welcome patients who undergo daily treatment in an outpatient clinic.
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