Hospice

by Monica

Hospice is an important organization in our community. It helps people who are in their "terminal" state in life. In other words, they have less than 6 months to live.

Hospice is split up into two agencies. One of them is for nurses. This agency is located at the Salisbury Visiting Nurses Association (SVNA) in Salisbury. The nurses in this agency get paid. Their job is to help the patient with medical needs. The other agency is for volunteers and it is located in Sharon, CT. They do not help the patients with bathing or skin care or other health needs. Their job is to help the patient's family with shopping, laundry, or any other chores that the family may need a little help with while they are caring for a sick family member.

When a patient is using Hospice, the family must decide where the patient will stay. Most patients stay in their own homes. Other patients stay in hospitals and nursing homes. They have special rooms set-aside for them. These rooms are private, but they let the patient's family in because Hospice has a social belief that nobody should be alone when they die. Sometimes they have a minister or priest come in and perform different spiritual rituals.

Not just anyone can be a Hospice worker. Some Hospice workers have college experience and others have no experience at all. Some of the volunteers are high school students. Some students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School have volunteered. But even inexperienced Hospice workers must be ready and willing to be very, very sad.

If you want to help, there is something that you need to do first. Think about yourself. Are you loving and caring? Do you really care about what happens to others? If you want to be a Hospice worker, you must remember to be gentle. Hospice patients are already uncomfortable. Being stern and forceful will just make them even unhappier than they already are. Hospice has a social worker that asks the patient, "Are you ready to die?" Not everyone feels comfortable talking about this. After this is worked out, you are ready to be a Hospice worker!

Thank you to Mrs. Shortelle for allowing me to talk with her to learn about Hospice. For more information you can call Mrs. Shortelle from the SVNA at 860-435-0816.

No one should be alone when they die.

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Updated 01-05-04