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Local nurse explains the importance of hospice care
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Providing families gentle comfort and care has become a way of life for hospice nurse, Carla Brown.
"I've worked before as a hospice nurse for three years, and joined Canon Hospice in December of last year," said Brown.
She says her journey was bred from personal loss.
"I wasn't there when my husband died, and it helped me with my grieving process."
Brown knows first-hand what it's like for families to watch a loved one embrace death.
She says hospice nurses are trained to stand by to ease the process.
"Hospice helps as a comfort to family and to the patient. Because then, you can bring them together to have conversations about things they weren't comfortable talking about."
Hospice care, also known as end-of-life care, isn't the same for each patient.
Brown says if a doctor elects hospice care, that may mean a patient has 6 months to a year to live.
However if a family makes that choice, it's likely to make changes to their loved one's quality of life.
"When family elects hospice, it's their way of saying they no longer want agressive treatment for their illness. They no longer want to go to a hospital."
Brown says in hospice, death isn't always the outcome.
"There have been times people have been admitted to hospice care and get well."
The journey, she says, differs from person to person, but the mission to care remains the same.
"We just want to make sure no one has to suffer during their dying process."
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