Has hospice changed your world view?

LYNNORA · Jun 16, 2005

I worked in hospice in Canada for about 10 years. It really did have an effect on my personal philosophy. I was fortunate to work in a facility which tried to be as home like as possible and provided excelent pt care. It changed the way i felt about death and dying because i saw so many people be ready for it and go very peacefully. I saw a lot of special things like patients sticking it out to see a grandaughter born or waiting for a long lost relative. It changed my outlook on life as I saw so many who were "waiting" for the right time to do what they wanted to do in life, then one morning they wake up and have cancer. It instilled in me to live life to the fullest now as their might not be tommorow.

req_read · Jun 17, 2005

I worked in hospice in Canada for about 10 years. It really did have an effect on my personal philosophy... etc.

I am curious as to how it changed your personal philosophy. For example; did your hospice experience have any effect on your views regarding life after death?

And ultimately, since even hospice nurses are mortal, do you think you will be better prepared for your own dying process as a result of your hospice experience?

leslie :-D · Jun 17, 2005

I am curious as to how it changed your personal philosophy. For example; did your hospice experience have any effect on your views regarding life after death?
And ultimately, since even hospice nurses are mortal, do you think you will be better prepared for your own dying process as a result of your hospice experience?

i've always been highly spiritual but when i became a hospice nurse 9 yrs ago, i remember what an eye-opener it was....because people don't realize how natural and UNscary the process is. i find it very calming when i see my pts talking to those who have passed. in the absence of cancer or any other painful etiology, you can indeed see them transitioning as they leave this earth (while still alive) and the stages it takes for them to get from here to there.

so should i develop cancer, as long as my pain is managed, i have even a lesser fear of death; actually no fear whatsoever. it really is quite a phenomenon to witness. and it helps the family when you can explain the stages their loved ones are going through so they don't take anything personally.

and i agree w/the other poster- not necessarily living life to its' fullest, although i don't disagree with that. but i don't want to have any regrets when i die, so i live my life as holy as possible-and it's actually not much of an effort to do so, as the peace and spirituality all come from within.

leslie

chadash · Jul 17, 2005

I worked as a Nursing assistant in hospice. I am of a traditional Christian background. Working with dying patients and their families has really strengthened my faith, and made me more cognizant of eternity.

It has made me look at what I value. Relationships are foremost. Every day is precious.

aimeee, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2005

It changed my outlook on life as I saw so many who were "waiting" for the right time to do what they wanted to do in life, then one morning they wake up and have cancer. It instilled in me to live life to the fullest now as their might not be tommorow.

I feel somewhat the same...maybe not quite to that level, but certainly that each day is precious and too short to put up with things (situations and people) that ruin it. Also that material stuff is just that...stuff...what matters in a home is how the people treat one another and how they relate to one another. Relationships and personal growth are what its all about.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jul 17, 2005

Hospice nurses seem to have a fondness for their work that is unique. It is axiomatic that nurses are 'caring' people. If we were not, we probably would not have become nurses in the first place. But I suspect that one of the reasons why hospice nurses enjoy their work so much has to do with what we get back from our clients.
Caring for and being with dying people and their families has changed how I see the world. Specifically, it has changed my understanding of life and death... and for the better I might add.
Spiritual phenomena commonly associated with dying process; e.g. near death awareness, have induced me to stop thinking of death as "end of life." (Whoever thought that term up must have been an administrative type who never actually worked with dying people.) Observing dying process itself has taught me that it is a process that prepares us for continued life and teaches us how to live more gracefully.
Working in hospice has definitely altered my world view, but I also fully expect that it will alter how I die. Knowing what I know now about dying process cannot help but to have a positive impact on my own dying process.
Do you think your hospice experience has altered your personal philosophy? And do you think it will affect how you die?

Absolutely! Hospice did so much for the terminally ill, it's hard to remember what it was like before Hospice. We were a culture of folks who believed that our lives were full of suffering and pain, so to expect relief would be unrealistic.

A few of us recall listening to the painful moans and cries of patients who were not treated for pain--or anything else--years ago because "they were dying." Those of us who had to listen helplessly will never forget. :crying2:

Hospice changed all that. It was Hospice that decreed that pain medication was crucial to quality of life. Even the concept that quality of life could be gleaned from one's few remaining days of a terminal illness was a notion put forth by Hospice.

Thanks to Hospice, we can pretty much be assured that our patients will get timely and appropriate pain relief, grief counseling, good nursing care, and a dignified, respectful dying process.

As a Christian, I always believed that we had a moral obligation to the dying, but Hospice truly put that belief into productive action. Bless you all, Hospice people!

d-wildone · Jul 24, 2005

It's because of my beliefs about end of life that I sought hospice as a career. Hospice has broadened my exposure, though hasn't changed how I view life and death.

miclpn · Jul 26, 2005

Although hospice nursing changed my spiritual views in a positive way, tehy also greatly improved my general outlook. It's hard to complain about little things when you witness someone struggling to care for their family while battling their own mortality slipping away.

I found that I had little patience for people in a hurry on the freeway or at the store and really had a hard time with people who were inconsiderate with others, had no peoblem letting people in in traffic...

Generally more accepting I became (that kinda sounded like Yoda there)

leslie :-D · Jul 28, 2005

Generally more accepting I became (that kinda sounded like Yoda there)

i have to agree with you and never even noticed it until you brought it up; that i too have become more patient and tolerant of stressful situations and/or those people that seem to perpetrate the aforementioned. thank you for bringing it to my attn.....

leslie

req_read · Jul 28, 2005

The responses to this thread have all been very interesting. However, responses to one of my original questions are conspicuous by their absence; i.e. do you think that what you have learned through intimate association with dying people will have an effect on your own dying process... and if so, how?

For example:

Do you think you will recognize dying process in your self? (As opposed to going through a more-or-less prolonged stage of denial.)

Do you think you would be more or less likely to pursue 'curative' interventions if diagnosed with a serious illness; say for exmple, chemo if diagnosed with cancer?

Do you think you would be shocked to 'see' a deceased relative standing at the foot of your bed?

I wonder if their proximity to death makes hospice nurses more aware of their own death or if they too, like the general population, still tend to think of it as something that happens to somebody else. For example, it would be interesting to know what percentage of hospice nurses have Advanced Directives in place as compared to the general population... or even, how their Advanced Directives might vary from those of the general population (if at all.)

jsteine1 · Jul 28, 2005

The responses to this thread have all been very interesting. However, responses to one of my original questions are conspicuous by their absence; i.e. do you think that what you have learned through intimate association with dying people will have an effect on your own dying process... and if so, how?
For example:
Do you think you will recognize dying process in your self? (As opposed to going through a more-or-less prolonged stage of denial.) YES
Do you think you would be more or less likely to pursue 'curative' interventions if diagnosed with a serious illness; say for exmple, chemo if diagnosed with cancer? NO
Do you think you would be shocked to 'see' a deceased relative standing at the foot of your bed? NOT SURE//
I wonder if their proximity to death makes hospice nurses more aware of their own death or if they too, like the general population, still tend to think of it as something that happens to somebody else. For example, it would be interesting to know what percentage of hospice nurses have Advanced Directives in place as compared to the general population... or even, how their Advanced Directives might vary from those of the general population (if at all.) I HAVE A LIVING WILL, ADVANCED DIRECTIVES AND A DURABLE POA SET UP.