Entering hospice is a difficult time for patients, families and friends alike. During the time patients are in hospice care, the hospice staff provides much support and comfort to the patient and their friends and family. Although this a unique experience for them, it is a part of every day in the life of a hospice worker, including those at Suncrest Home Health and Hospice of Austin, Texas. How are hospice workers able to live and work constantly with death and still provide the support families need?
Traits of Hospice Workers
Many people who have gone into the helping professions — nursing, teaching, social work, etc. — believe it is more of a calling (like to the clergy) than a vocation (as in the case of plumbers or car salesmen). One reason for this is that these professionals work closely with individuals in need — sometimes in life-or-death situations. Not everyone is able to engage this deeply with others on a daily basis — it requires giving beyond what is required in many other types of careers.
For this reason and others, not everyone is well-suited to become a nurse or social worker. When students with aspirations in these fields begin to study for their degrees, they are then better able to get an idea of what the profession requires. Both these fields — along with physical therapy — include a hands-on component as part of training, giving students a taste of what the job will be like. It is at this point that some realize it is not for them.
Those who stay are often those with higher levels of empathy than the general population, and this allows them to connect better with their patients and to provide what they need or want, even when the patient can’t speak for themselves. In hospice, the nurses, therapists, certified nursing assistants and social workers provide patients not just with care, but also with the emotional support they need to get through the next challenge.
Hospice Workers: A Special Calling
If you accept that nursing and social work is a calling, you may understand that these same jobs in a hospice facility are even more of a specialty. As difficult as any type of nursing is, the truth is that in most nursing jobs, patients get better. But in hospice, this almost never happens, since the intent of hospice is to give patients the ability to choose how they die. Thus, the mission of hospice nurses and CNAs is never to cure, but instead to provide comfort care.
CNAs in particular provide much of the hands-on, day-to-day interactions with patients at Suncrest in Austin, helping them to bathe, brush their teeth, use the toilet, comb their hair, get dressed, take their medications and eat. Over time, the CNAs must do more for each patient as they get weaker and less able to do anything for themselves.
Patients often greatly enjoy their interactions with their CNA, as they are among those to who touch the patient on a regular basis. Physical touch is extremely important at every stage of life, and especially the end stage. Patients form a bond with their regular CNA, and they look forward to seeing them every morning.
Besides helping them with the activities of daily living, the CNAs often engage the patients in conversation, learning about their lives, their families and their illness. They may talk about current events, TV shows or a patient’s favorite hobby. If they can still engage in the hobby, such as doing jigsaw or crossword puzzles, the CNA might spend a few minutes participating with them.
Even the patients who have lost the ability to speak appreciate that the CNAs talking quietly to them as they go about their job, telling them how nice their hair looks today or how pretty their new nightgown is. Most patients feel much better after their CNA helps them get ready in the morning.
Why Hospice?
Family and friends of hospice workers often ask them why they chose hospice work, and if working with the dying is depressing. Those truly called to hospice say no, and that in fact, the opposite is true.
Dying is a part of life — everyone and every living thing must die. Those who enter hospice are lucky that they are able to choose the terms on which they leave this world. Many others are not as lucky, including some heart attack and stroke victims, victims of violent crimes and those who die in wars or accidents. One thing that hospice guarantees to provide is a peaceful death — a death without pain or discomfort.
Hospice workers feel privileged that they get to help provide comfort and companionship to patients at the end of their lives. Hospice spiritual advisors in particular help patients find the strength and courage they need to accept that they did everything they could to lead a good and happy life and come to terms with the fact that it will end soon. All hospice workers prioritize bringing cheer and joy to a patient in their last days whenever possible.
Coping with Death
Some people mistakenly believe that hospice workers “get used to” death, and that it does not affect them. If this were true, they would be unable to do their jobs as they should, providing compassionate and empathetic care to patients.
Many hospice workers cry every time one of their patients dies. Some attend wakes and funerals. As sad as it is when a friend or loved one dies, there is great comfort and satisfaction in knowing you helped make the end of their life easier.
This experience is antithetical to the experiences of doctors, nurses and others on battlefields or those who frequently treat victims of violence, because it is difficult to make sense out of suffering that is deliberately caused by another. A natural, peaceful death can be viewed as a thing of beauty.
Of course, like any other employee, hospice workers are vulnerable to depression, anxiety and stress. However, these symptoms may not be related to their jobs as hospice workers. In fact, many philosophers believe that helping others is one of three key ingredients of happiness (the others being satisfying work and rewarding interpersonal relationships), so hospice workers may in fact be happier than the average employee.
At the same time, hospice workers are also vulnerable to burnout. This is a much greater danger when there is a shortage of staff, such as during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At these times, hospice workers know how many patients are depending on them for critical care, while they may be in their 60th work hour of the week. Luckily, since the vaccine has become available, almost all types of nursing care have gotten easier.
Suncrest Home Health and Hospice of Austin
The bottom line is that many hospice workers view their jobs as more of a gift than a trial. They derive great satisfaction from helping others, and they are grateful to have the tools to do it, since in many areas this is not the case.
Additionally, those who work so closely with death on a daily basis often find that they are calmer when contemplating their own deaths. Most of us do not know how or when we will die, and while many people can deal with this uncertainty, it can be difficult for others. Many people have never witnessed a death, but hospice workers have witnessed hundreds. They know that death can be easy, quiet and painless. Oftentimes relatives and friends can be nearby during their final moments. This is a benefit, not a tragedy.
If you are interested in learning more about hospice care as a profession or on behalf of a loved one, contact Suncrest Home Health and Hospice of Austin today.
