Sunday, February 01, 2009

Death

On Saturday I worked at a Hospice, when ever I work there I think of death. Not m death, but how people react to death. Everyone knows that all things must die eventually, and it always amazes me that for some death comes as a surprise. I am not referring to the sudden deaths that are from accidents, but the ones that come from a long fight with an illness. I don't know if people block out the fact that death is inevitable or if they think that some cure, or something is going to happen to bring their loved one back from the edge.

It also amazes me that some of the family members and friends go out of their way to support the staff. There are families who do everything for the patient except meds, then apologize to the nursing staff when the Rn's have to come in and change out the pain pumps.

It could be to that I just have a very different view of death than most people out there. I have always seen death not as an end but as the next step in the adventure of life. I do miss those who have gone one, but it is me that I feel sorry for the fact that I miss them, that I will never see them. Not that they will never see me, I don't know what they see. ( I would hate to know that they can watch me in the shower.)

Then there are the patients who come in and go out of our lives for just a day or even a few hours, and these people lead or guide us into a changed outlook of our lives. I never know who they are or where I am going to meet them, but I am grateful that they have come into my life.

3 comments:

Real Live Lesbian said...

People see me as cold because I feel the same way about death. I just don't think it's the end.

Shannon said...

I worked as a volunteer for hospice for a year and it absolutely helped me move from an irrational fear of death to an accepting awareness that's it's just a part of life. When I lost my beloved Grandma last year, I was able to cope with it in a much better way thanks to my experience with hospice.

Some of the people that I sat with were just for a few of their last hours, others were people that I grew to know and love and have left a lasting impact on me. But even the ones that I had only for a few hours are people that I know were in my life for a reason.

It's great that you can do this for a living. Really...

Nulaanne said...

Real, it is hard to have people understand that. You are not cold but I think have the right idea.

Sinner, I am sorry about your Grandma. I do think that the more death is experanced the more it is understood.

I just really really hope they are not all watching me in the shower.