IT is the little things which make a big difference to someone with a debilitating disease.

In the day-to-day reality of coping with cancer or respiratory failure, it is not the fear of death which causes patients most anguish, but the daily pain and discomfort which make everyday tasks impossible.

Physiotherapists like Trevelyan Beyer cannot cure cancer - but they can make the lives of sufferers much more bearable.

The 31-year-old, who is the senior physiotherapist at St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham City, believes that the opening of a ten-bed in-patient unit later this year will allow him to make a considerable difference to the lives of the patients he sees.

The hospice, which currently operates only as a day care centre, hopes to offer round-the-clock care to terminally-ill patients.

Last year, it launched an ambitious fundraising campaign, backed by The Northern Echo, to build a £3.2m in-patient unit; and is now close to reaching its target.

Mr Beyer said: "At present, I see people at the hospice in any space we can find.

"What I am looking forward to when the extension opens is having access to a dedicated rehabilitation space and access to equipment which will make a real difference."

The physiotherapy team at the hospice, which also carries out home visits, helps patients in a variety of ways, from exercise programmes, movement retraining, acupuncture or hands-on techniques to help sufferers maintain their independence.

Many of their clients find that their symptoms, such as pain, shortness of breath or simple stiffness, reduce their mobility and therefore lessen their ability to fend for themselves.

Mr Beyer said: "When people are ill, they find very simple tasks difficult.

"A lot of what we do is to do with daily tasks - it is the day-to-day things that you can really change and make it easier for people to sit on the toilet, to go to the bathroom, to get into the garden or manage the stairs.

"The reality is we can change a lot for the better - it may only last for a short time, but there is always an opportunity to improve someone's life to some degree and to make things easier and increase their independence in some way.

"A sense of independence is so utterly important to all of us, and if we can enable people even in small ways, then people's lives are not only easier, but more fulfilling."

Mr Beyer joined the team at the hospice less than two years ago and admits to having had some worries ahead of going into palliative care, but says that the vast majority of his work is positive.

He added: "I really think it is a genuine privilege - I think in some of the worst of circumstances you see the best of people.

"I am always amazed at how grateful people are for something simple - it is little things which can make a massive difference to people's lives."