End of life care means meeting the emotional needs of patients and families

It’s a question many of us avoid asking ourselves — let alone answering.

For some, their dying wish is to reach a life-long goal.

For others, it can be as simple as seeing a loved one a last time. Fulfilling a last wish can not only bring peace to a dying person, but to their families as well.

That’s exactly what Ottawa hospitals are doing.

In the ever-evolving field of patient care, the days of doctors and nurses trying to meet only the medical needs of patients are a thing of the past.

Now hospitals such as The Ottawa Hospital and Roger’s House have shifted their focus and integrated an emotional aspect to patient care — especially for those nearing the end of their life.

WISH LISTS

All final wishes — no matter how big or small — tend have one thing in common: to make one last memory.

Staff at both The Ottawa Hospital and Roger’s House say that many wishes fall into one of two categories: achieving a goal or spending time with family.

The goals can be almost anything: One man wanted to ride a hospital’s floor-washing machine, which looked like a Zamboni.

Another wish, one that sticks out in the mind of Lynn Kachuik, an advanced practice nurse with the supportive and palliative care team at The Ottawa Hospital, involved a young woman who was completing her own nursing student placement at The Ottawa Hospital.

During her placement, the woman was diagnosed with cancer from which she would not recover.

Her wish, Kachuik said, was to graduate nursing school and become a nurse.

So the team arranged with the university for a full cap-and-gown graduation ceremony to be held at the hospital, then listed her as part of the nursing staff on the 5th floor.

The woman passed away two weeks later.

For the full story, please visit the Ottawa Sun’s website