Yup, I'm jumping out of a plane for charity...not sure why I thought this would be a good idea. Anyway, this is why: Most of us at some point in our lives will know someone with a life limiting illness. For the patient this means their story is reaching its end, following at times, a long, painful physical, mental and emotional battle. For the families (if the patient is lucky enough to have a family) a different kind of painful journey must be embarked on; in many cases family members choose or need to become carers for their loved ones, whilst struggling with their own sadness and heartbreak and on top of taking on a role they often feel ill-equipped for. At these times, hospices, whether offering respite or end of life care offer invaluable support to the family. Regarding the former, families can take a well-earned break, bearing in mind that at times the carer for the patient at home may be a young teenager or an elderly other with very little support of their own, and the patient can rest and be relieved of feeling burdensome to their loved ones. In the latter case patients may be cared for physically and spiritually and prevented from dying alone and lonely and families can be reassured that they’re supported in coping with the death of their loved ones, usually in a peaceful and calm environment. I speak from the personal experience of both my grandma and mother having passed in hospices. I remember the relief I felt walking into their private rooms and how supportive the staff were to both my family and I and how infused the environments were with calm and kindness. This contrasted with my experience of hospital wards being hectic, impersonal and traumatising, where staff at times were impatient and obviously struggling to cope and beds were filled with distressed, at times dying, sometimes screaming and at times hallucinating people. Whilst I recognise of course that we are lucky to live in a country which provides healthcare at a low cost, I do feel I need to balance this with examples of the negatives. E.g. In one incident my mum was asking the nurses for more oxygen, they did not listen to her so she asked me to explain and despite this they just injected her with a sedative in a rough manner until she passed out, whilst she was crying and both of us were pleading for them not to. On the same day, a patient next to her passed away, which was common in this ward but not something I wanted my mother to witness at this stage in her illness. In my grandma’s case, finding her neglected , confused and bruised on the floor of the ward after being left for hours. Hospices, by contrast can offer attentive one to one care, create an atmosphere of calm and patience and are vital for providing a dignified and peaceful death for its ‘guests’, I use the word deliberately, as the comfort and attention provided is closer to welcoming patients into a ‘home’ than an austere, clinical, overly medicalised environment. Aside from the above, Wakefield Hospice also provides: Well being sessions Bereavement support Dementia care Family care and support Spiritual and wellbeing Complementary therapy As charities, hospices are often overlooked and underfunded, and I feel we allow them to be forgotten at our peril so PLEASE if you could donate it would mean so much to families and people facing the most difficult experience we must all inevitably face. https://www.wakefieldhospice.org/
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