Hospice--Angels on Earth

November is National Hospice Month and with the “feel” of most of our
blogs as we grieve with our friend Diana, I think it is fitting to share this
article with you that was written about a Hospice nurse for my newspaper.

There’s No Place Like Home

One of our nurses had been caring for a patient in his home for several weeks. During that time, she and the family had developed a good rapport while working together to provide loving care during his final days in this part of life. When her shift ended, she made the drive home knowing that he was unlikely to survive the night. It is difficult to say good-bye. When one truly cares about what happens to another living soul, when one steps out of their own comfort zone to meet another’s needs, one truly loves. And in loving, we learn the sorrow of loss.

This particular nurse is known not only for her cheerful demeanor and “can do” attitude, but also for being an excellent Hospice nurse. As she drove home, she tried to work through some of her own sorrow at his impending loss. Her cell phone rang. You know how it is. You’re at the worst possible intersection with a police car behind you and an idiot in front of you and the phone rings. Do you answer it? Once…twice… it rang, and then fell silent. By the time she had the phone out, it had stopped ringing. Strangely, there was no caller ID, just the time of the call, 7:10 p.m. The next morning at work, she learned that the patient had indeed died the night before…at 7:10 p.m. Then she knew that the relationship was not unilateral. On his way Home, the patient had “called” to let her know that he was fine.

It is such a privilege to be a part of the Hospice care team, to be permitted into peoples’ homes and lives during traumatic times when they are at their most vulnerable. It is a privilege to be permitted to care about the person as whole- body, mind, spirit and soul- instead of being forced to pigeonhole them into this or that disease process or diagnosis. It is a privilege to rejoice with them as they realize that the end of life holds many gifts as well as sorrows. And it is a privilege to mourn with those who mourn, even beyond the passing of their loved one.

Many of our patients come from closely knit loving families. Some do not. Some have few or no surviving family members; some have fractured relationships that are only partially mended-if at all. At times, the burden of giving care to a dying loved one is overwhelming, no matter how many family members and friends provide care and no matter what the diagnosis is. At times, weariness is like a heavy fog, blanketing every movement, every thought and every emotion. At others, the physical needs of the patient are more than can be met in a private home. Under these circumstances, the caregivers can be faced with yet another difficult decision…keep the patient in the home, or consider moving them to a facility.

A Hospice House is truly a home away from home. It is a place to be when home is not possible and a hospital is not desirable. It is a place for patients and their families to be together as a family without being responsible for every care detail, every medication dosage and every change in condition. It is a place to remember how to live amidst a season of tears, a place to investigate the richness of life through massage, art and music therapy, a place to receive spiritual sustenance when church is no longer possible.

Truly, God is good, all the time.

Written by: Janie Jones

Hugs, Happiness and Harmony,

Julie L. Rose

snlrose@hotmail.com