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What Hospice Means To ME When many people hear the word hospice immediately they think of sadness. As a hospice social worker I have had people say things to me like “you have a special place in heaven” or “you must get so depressed”. Often, my response to them is I enjoy my work and I could not imagine doing anything else. I consider it an honor to work with people during their last stage of life. I am often given the opportunity to hear these individuals tell their life story and usually we laugh and cry, and even pray together. Recently, I visited a patient and as we sat and talked she shared her story with me and as that visit ended she said I am not afraid of dying, but I am thinking of how my only son will cope with my death. I assured her that our services did not end when she died and explained that our Chaplain would continue to visit and care for her only son. A smile formed on her face. I had several more visits with this patient, and found that she had a great sense of humor. After about a month this patient died, and I had the opportunity to be at her bedside and sing her favorite song to her, before she took her last breathe. The family later asked me to sing at her funeral and I did. Wow, what an honor to be asked to sing at someone’s life celebration! When I think of that patient I smile. I know she led a great life and I know that her son, who she loved so much, has support. Therefore, when I hear the word hospice I think of words like comfort, care, kindness, love, and end of life celebrations. Kimberly Williams Social Worker |
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