My patient, whom I will refer to as George, is a 92 year old man with Alzheimer’s disease along with other medical diagnoses that impair everyday functioning. Due to his deteriorating mental and physical state, he resides in a locked unit. From the beginning of the hospice program, my volunteer partner and I learned about George’s love of music and service as a Navy veteran. His illness has hindered his ability to communicate greatly, so a lot of our conversations with him were difficult to piece together. Here and there, we would receive information about details of his life, but other times, he would struggle greatly translating his thoughts into written language. Knowing something about his life story aided in our communication and led us to learning more about his experiences with the war and dealing with racism as a young person growing up.
In meetings, we often talked about traveling and the importance of new environments to learn about diversity and culture. It was incredible to talk to an older, progressive person of color as my partner and I are also POCs. On a particular meeting, George said he was having a lousy day. His posture and facial expression visibly displayed he was not content. My volunteer partner and I began to tell George how it was okay to be sad. We then began to discuss how lovely family could be, and we asked him about his daughters and favorite memories. This conversation led to his spirits being uplifted so that we even got a laugh out of him! In that moment, I saw the beauty of hospice and how personal social interaction and conversation can make someone’s day. Giving a patient company and support is an integral part of care.
From the beginning of this program, we learned that doctors often take a problematic approach to end-of-life care by trying to always “fix” the problem. They sometimes cannot come to terms with the fact that some problems can’t be fixed, which includes dying and death. Doctors don’t want patients to feel as if they gave up on them. This issue is largely a part of biomedical culture’s perspective regarding death. We need to change our culture’s attitude to a more comfortable approach. In understanding and respecting death, we highlight the beauty of life. We also pave an avenue for people to consider their end-of-life processes. We must normalize this conversation so people have the opportunity to have their desired end-of-life experience. In doing so, patients must always be aware of what is happening, which I believe is a strong responsibility of the practitioner. Proper communication is key. Ultimately, it is difficult to grapple with the fact that nothing is permanent and life is always changing. Opening conversation about death and providing proper emotional care and support, such as hospice, is essential to treating people properly at the end of life. I believe this approach is greatly needed to provide respectful closure.
My experience in this program, in conjunction with my studies at Swarthmore College, has opened my eyes to many problematic aspects of our medical culture. Our meetings and my patient visitations have illuminated how powerful and beautiful end-of-life care can be. Simple conversation and company can improve a person’s day while they are processing ideas about the end of life. Every person deserves to have a comforting, safe, and respectful healing environment. End-of-life care ensures this process and that a patient experiences what they desire. I will move forward into my medical career always prioritizing a patient’s understanding and needs for their healing process. I truly believe medicine and health is a team effort and journey.