‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’: hospice workers share 12 lessons about life and death
Hospice and end-of-life workers discuss what they’ve learned from their work and patients in their last moments
TL;DR
- Hospice provides comfort and allows patients to remain at home, offering a gift of choice and peace.
- Open conversations about death with loved ones are crucial for ensuring end-of-life wishes are met.
- Death can be a beautiful experience, often witnessed as a time of magnified love and devotion among people.
- It is important not to postpone dreams and goals, as life is finite and time is not guaranteed.
- Recognizing what is outside of our control allows us to focus on what we can influence, such as ensuring dignity and honoring wishes.
- Nurturing relationships and being intentional about connection is vital, as many people experience loneliness at the end of life.
- Keeping things in perspective by focusing on what truly matters helps in navigating life's minor inconveniences.
- Being present and grateful for the current moment and the life we have is a key lesson from end-of-life care.
- Remembering that every patient is someone's favorite person fosters empathy and patience.
- Work, even meaningful hospice work, should be compartmentalized, as life is more than just a job.
- People at the end of life often desire validation that their life had meaning and purpose.
- Life is a mix of joy and messiness, as captured by the phrase 'You laugh a little, you leak a little'.
- The impact we have and how we are remembered are lasting legacies.