Hospice care is a unique healthcare domain that involves particularly vulnerable populations since it deals with terminally ill patients. The sensitivity of work at such a facility was a striking insight for me when I discovered the particularities of my extended relative’s job. When I was a child, she told me about her work as a nurse in a hospice for people with cancer. I remember empathizing with the patients since it seemed devastating to be experiencing such a severe health condition and being placed in a specialized facility far from the family. At the same time, since it was my relative who struggled to deliver qualitative care to the cancer population, I empathized with her daily work since she had to not only provide immediate care in terms of medications but also support and encourage them emotionally.
Having become older, I recollect this early experience with hospice and think about it more professionally. Indeed, I understand that the availability of such facilities is an important care opportunity for people with severe conditions in need of end-of-life care. Research-based evidence demonstrates that “hospice use is associated with reductions in symptom distress, improved outcomes for caregivers, patient and family satisfaction, and reduced use of hospital-based resources” (Kleinpell et al., 2019, p. 2). Thus, the importance of hospice facilities and personnel is difficult to overemphasize.
Overall, although I did not have personal experiences of hospice care, the observation of professional manifestations of this work is particularly insightful. The challenges that patients and professionals in end-of-life care organizations face require high levels of competency and emphatic and supportive inter-personal connection. In such a manner, the purpose and mission of hospice care as a safe environment for terminally ill patients might be accomplished.
Reference
Kleinpell, R., Vasilevskis, E. E., Fogg, L., & Ely, E. W. (2019). Exploring the association of hospice care on patient experience and outcomes of care. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 9(1), 1-11.