The No One Dies Alone programme arranges for volunteers to sit with dying patients who are alone, either because relatives could not be with them in time or because they have no available relatives. The volunteers do not replace nursing staff or primary caregivers, but instead focus on “being fully present” with the patient in lieu of family. Volunteers offer a reassuring presence to dying patients who would otherwise be alone.
The article relates the story of a patient nearing the end of his life in the Marcus Daly Hospice Centre. His family was not able to be with him, so the nurse on duty contacted the hospice chaplain to initiate a No One Dies Alone vigil. By 9pm the first volunteer arrived to sit with the patient, the next volunteer came to relieve her at midnight, the next at 3am. Every two hours after that, through the morning and into the afternoon, volunteers were there at his side. At pm, the last volunteer arrived, and the two volunteers sat at his bedside as he breathed his last. Some volunteers prayed quietly during their vigil time, others read poetry and scripture. Some held his hand.
Volunteers for the No One Dies Alone programmes are drawn from employees at all levels within and outside the hospital or hospice. The programme is non-sectarian – it provides a human presence for people who are dying without anyone else available. A common reason to volunteer might be a person with a large family of origin who cannot imagine someone being alone at the time of death; other volunteers come forward because they are themselves alone.
The programme was developed at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Oregon, and has since spread across the United States to hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice programmes. It was founded in 2001 by Sandra Clarke an intensive care nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Centre.
Speaking about the programme, Ms Clarke was quoted as saying: “I am not an especially pious person. I do have a strong belief in human rights, particularly when a person is most vulnerable. No One Dies Alone has been a profound professional and spiritual experience. It gives both job satisfaction and a raison d’etre. It is a plan which could be readily implemented in any hospital. In time, it may be true that No One Dies Alone.”
Find out more on the No-one Dies Alone website
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