Before volunteering with Seasons Hospice, I knew little to nothing about the services that hospice programs had to offer. I, like many others, simply wrote off hospice centers as the place people go to die when they have run out of options. Hospice was a sort of white flag signifying that the patient has given up. I did not think there were any special attributes that these facilities could offer. After participating in this volunteer program, I know these misconceptions to be woefully incorrect and that there can be a preservation of dignity in the end-of-life process. If I could isolate a single lesson that will remain with me after my time with this program, it will be the philosophy of hospice care. This philosophy of medical treatment is one that places emphasis on the comfort of a patient and a celebration of the life they had led, instead of a prolonged existence in an impersonal hospital bed where the patient is attached to foreign machines in order to stay alive.
Specifically, there was one experience during this program that showed me there can be dignity in death by providing the patient the most comfortable possible environment in both a physical and emotional sense. I had just been assigned a new patient who was residing in a nursing home with his wife. I had not been too familiar with the couple as I had visited with them once before and only had a limited conversation with the them. Upon the subsequent visit the following week, one of his daughters was visiting with them as well. After making the patient comfortable for his afternoon nap, I began talking with the daughter and wife to get a better idea of the situation. The prognosis was described as bleak and the family’s goal at this point was to ensure that he was the most comfortable he possibly could be. During our discussion, the two began talking about the sort of life he led and reminisced of fond memories. As the stories continued, more of the patient’s children began to stroll in until all of the immediate family was there, with each member contributing a different story to illustrate this grandiose character who had lived a full life. Despite some intermediate crying, there were many laughs and before I knew it, I had spent most of my afternoon with them.
As I left, the patient was surrounded by his loved ones. I like to believe that our conversation was therapeutic for the family and offered some sort of healing during this process. I was informed serval days after that the patient had passed away, but was delighted to hear from the volunteer coordinator that Seasons Hospice would continue to maintain communication with the family to assist them through the grieving process. This experience demonstrated how the dying process encompasses all members of the family, not just the sick. It is the responsibility of healthcare providers to be cognizant about the needs and mental health of the patient’s family during the death process.
My tenure in this hospice program has truly make me reconsider what it means to have a “good death.” Through my weekly interactions with patients and the online exercises, I have come to understand the philosophy and utility that hospice has to offer. I hope to be able to utilize the many different lessons I have learned into practice for my future profession.