Angela is from phillipines ,a Nurse(RN) working with a team of doctors in hospice.
I was quite taken aback and kept thinking about her ,one day she dropped at my work place with her husband ,An American guy maybe in sixties whom she was married to...
I asked Angela about her nature of job and how she has this immense power to see someone dying in front of her.
before I started talking to Angela ,Alex (her husband) started talking to me about his past which was also very sad how when his first wife died his kids wanted him to go for assisted living and sell his house so that the money could be divided among his kids. Alex has a big house and some luxury cars he said ,But kids wanted dad to spend time with his age group and leave money for them,he then decided to remarry and look for companion at the age of sixty and live again rather then getting into depression and feeling old before age, this was also to teach kids a lesson and marry this wonderful women with incredible qualities.
Hospice is traditionally an option for people whose life expectancy is six months or less, and involves palliative care (pain and symptom relief) rather than ongoing curative measures, enabling you to live your last days to the fullest, with purpose, dignity, grace, and support.
Angela works for hospice and terminally ill patients where there is no hope but aim is to only minimising their pain in their last few months of life.she bathes them ,cleans them ,even tells them stories making them smile and bids them goodbye.
I asked her"what are patients reaction when they know their days are numbered?
she said"most of the time patients knows about the last day and I try to ease the pain and comfort them as directed by Doctors But there have been times when I had to say please don't hold yourself everything will be alright here."and see them leaving the world.
I asked her "do you take anti -depressants yourself after seeing all this?"
she said"yes at times ,when I am too attached to someone I cannot sleep"
I asked "how often do you see all this?
she said "my last patient was in sep 2010 he was eighty seven years old
but I can never forget him ,I use to clean him everyday and he would offer me a chocolate bar at times (snicker).On his last day when I went to clean him after death I found one of chocolate bars in my gloves ,I was in tears."
I asked "do their kids or relatives visit them?"
she said "yes they do "
I asked "what is the percentage of male and females in hospice?
she said"seventy percent are males and thirty percent females, most of the time daughters look after their mother and would give them treatment at home."
I asked "so who is in the cue now?"
I have hundred and four year old bed ridden guy who has lot of problems so it can be any-time from now.
its very difficult to see some one dealing with pain and leaving the world right in-front of you specially if its part of the job part and doing it more often is something which is beyond words that can't be described.I had been to hospice once but couldn't spend more then half an hour ,with pain and suffering I could see all over and people in cue for their turn ,its pathetic ...everyone has to go but the reasons are made by Almighty..
hats off to these people who take care of these patients and see them every day.
