Hospice Is About Living
How do I begin?
How do I begin to share with you what it’s like to work with someone who is dying? Actually, it’s quite the same as working with someone who is living. Each person who signs up for hospice care is living. The point of hospice is to have life and live it to the fullest. When someone is at the end of their lives and receiving hospice care, they have the unique pleasure of knowing the end is approaching and having another chance to live the way they have always wanted to. These people say the things they always meant to say and recount the memories that are the dearest to their hearts. They cherish every moment.
The end of life is so beautifully one of the greatest expressions of life there is. It teaches us to find gratitude in breath and hold so carefully our words to one another. It instructs us to respect our elders and love them with every fiber of our being. It urges us to say the things we were always afraid of and express the emotions that we harnessed under a lifetime of coverup. We are given another moment share with others.
The end of life is a special place I am allowed to be – a space of vulnerability and raw authenticity. It is a space where makeup is an afterthought and tears flow freely, a space where minutes with family members override food and clean clothes. I am honored to be a part of such a fragile and sacred time. I am blessed to be welcomed into a family’s private dwelling, tangible or impalpable. I am delighted to work with people so fully alive.
If you thought hospice was about dying, I challenge you to think again.
