I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the multiple changes we’ve had to make in hospice. Wearing PPE like never before, dealing with regulation waivers along with distancing inside our offices, having to deem some of our interdisciplinary team members as “non-essential”. (NOT true, btw.)
We’re separated from our patients and their families, sometimes at the times when they need us most. Restricted from visiting patients in facilities, we’ve lost connection with the people who are the focus of our care. The ones at the center of everything we do.
Patients and families are the reason for everything we do. They’re the reason we are hospice professionals.
There’s a lot of talk about resiliency, about how to do more than just survive the pandemic. How to thrive, as an industry, agencies, and individuals. Here’s what I would tell you about that.
Photo property of The Heart of Hospice, LLC
Hospice has undergone numerous changes since Dame Cicely Saunders introduced it to the U.S. We are resilient.
We’re Not Going Anywhere. We are essential.
Technology will never replace touch. We will continue to connect with our patients and their caregivers in meaningful ways.
Hospice professionals – every single one of them – have the determination to stick it out in this pandemic season. We know the kind of care we provide to seriously ill patients is crucial.
If you’re part of a hospice interdisciplinary team, you need to remember who you are. You’re needed. The skills you bring to the care of patients, families – and your team! – are essential to sustaining the end of life care industry. No matter what your job title/role/credentials/skill set is, our patients and families need what you contribute to their care.
We might be knocked down but we always get back up again. Take care of yourself. Take care of your coworkers. Take care of your team and our industry.
Hospice will always be essential.
No matter who you are or where you are in your hospice journey, you are The Heart of Hospice.