Hospice — Giving Families a Chance to Be the Family
LINDA PEARCE
It ’ s the last few months or maybe even the last week of life for someone you love . You wonder how you can weather what comes next . You may have been struggling for a long time as a caregiver and have run out of energy and emotional strength . Your family needs help , and it needs comfort . Perhaps you need to know about hospice . Here are some things to think about .
When a cure for illness is no longer possible , the modern hospice is a place that offers end-oflife care as an alternative to hospital palliative wards . But hospice does not just provide medical care and pain control . It also encompasses a wide range of other needs for the patient and the family . Unfortunately , many people who could have benefitted from their services don ’ t learn about hospice until it ’ s too late .
My own experience volunteering with hospice was in Ontario , but I recently interviewed the clinical team Leader of Southwood Hospice in Calgary for a more Alberta-based perspective . Monique VanderVeen gave me a tour of the twenty-four-bed facility , and during our talk she said something that resonated with me : “ Hospice gives families a chance to be the family .” Over a long period of looking after a family member , the physical and emotional demands , sleep deprivation and anguish can almost extinguish a person ’ s normal relationship to a father or mother or child or sibling . Once all the physical needs and pain control — which often turns out to be much better in a hospice than elsewhere — are
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