The little device that changes everything
It hums quietly under a blanket, often nestled in a canvas pouch, clipped discreetly to a belt or wheelchair. In most photographs, it’s out of sight. But for the families navigating their final days with someone they love, the syringe driver may be one of the most important items in the room.
Roughly the size of a paperback book, this small machine delivers life-sustaining medication steadily and silently over 24 hours - and in doing so, it restores something precious: time, calm, and the chance to live, even at the very end.
“People think of hospice care as the end,” says Nele Bohn, Ward Sister at ellenor. “But for us, it’s about making every day still feel like living - and a syringe driver gives us that chance.”
More Than a Machine
Used primarily to manage pain, nausea, anxiety or breathlessness, syringe drivers mean patients don’t have to wait for their next dose of medication or struggle to swallow tablets. They reduce the fluctuations in pain, providing steady symptom control - allowing patients the freedom to do something extraordinary: step outside with confidence.
“Syringe drivers transform the way we can care for patients,” says Nele. “Because the medication is delivered safely and consistently, people can feel comfortable and stable - and that means they can do the things that matter most, like going to the seaside or spending time with their grandchildren.”
For Jane, whose husband was cared for at home in his final days, the syringe driver brought back a sense of normality - if only briefly.
“We could just be. We took Andy to visit his brother one last time. It was peaceful. He smiled the whole way there.”
“That one journey, made possible by this small device, is the memory I carry with me,” Jane says. “Even at the very end, we still found comfort. We still found connection. For that moment, we were simply us again.”
Without a syringe driver, even something as simple as leaving the house can feel overwhelming. Medication has to be measured, carried, stored safely - sometimes even kept refrigerated - turning every outing into a medical exercise rather than a moment of freedom. On top of that, nurses must be licensed and insured to transport drugs, and the safe disposal of sharps adds yet another layer of concern.
With a syringe driver, those worries are lessened. The device is carefully prepared with the right dosage for each patient and set to deliver it gently and consistently. It means nurses can focus on care - and patients can focus on living.
“It’s such a small piece of equipment, but it changed everything for us,” Jane says. “It meant Andy could still have his day out and his garden moment - and we could share those times together in comfort, without the stress of medication getting in the way.”
Earlier this year, ellenor’s fundraising campaign helped secure new syringe drivers for patients across our community services. The appeal may have focused on equipment - but the real story is what those machines deliver: lives made richer, however briefly.
“Donors may have paid for syringe drivers,” says Dr Soumen Saha Consultant & Senior Lecturer in Palliative Medicine at ellenor. “But what they really gave was time - time without pain, time to be together, time to say the things that matter to those that are too unwell to swallow key medicines. In the end, that’s what dignity looks like.”
