AS THE bricks stack up at the St Catherine's Hospice development, staff are looking forward to more space and equipment to help make patients' lives better.

Physiotherapist Ruth Livesey, from Bamber Bridge, has been working at the Lostock Hall hospice since it opened 11 years ago. Her role has grown from working 12 hours a week to 24, and she works with another physio to give treatment at the patient's bedside.

But the new extension, which opens in March, will mean a purpose-built room with specialised equipment to give more choice, privacy and motivation to the 18 in-patients and around a dozen day-care patients every day.

The room will feature an overhead hoist to lift patients more easily, special frames and parallel bars.

Ruth said: " It's a great morale booster for staff, and especially the patients who can find it hard to come to terms with a body which doesn't do what they want it to. People think physio is just for those with sports injuries or after a traffic accident, but cancer sufferers have a great need for it. Immobile muscles become weak and painful.

"We help them gain better control of their movements and get more independence, or simply make the person more comfortable with positioning, massage, breathing and relaxation."

Ruth added: "They are very comforted to know there are other ways of pain relief and treatment than just taking drugs."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.