Inspirational Stories

Christmas at Hospice from a Nurses Perspective

The Christmas spirit is more than the joy of giving and receiving gifts and over indulgence.

Christmas Day for some of the Hospice nurses has a 5.20am wake up to prepare for a morning shift commencing at 6.45am, other family members are sound asleep!

Our role is to facilitate our patients and their families to live Christmas day comfortably in a supportive caring environment. For many this will be their last Christmas. For those who are able to go out we have them organised and ready. For those who remain we try to have a relaxed and festive day with them and their families having a Christmas day that is 'right' for them. Some chose to socialize with the staff and their families, others chose to remain with their loved one quietly or a noisy family gathering. The 'new' unit will facilitate greater choices. Some community patents join us.

The kitchen is alive with volunteers and staff with our cook in control. We try to keep her day relaxed with contributions and labour given by all. My teenage daughter even helped willingly with domestic chores (unheard of at home).

Our community nurses have been out visiting, giving care and support to our community patients and their families. They join us for Christmas dinner, some, with their families. Morph the cat is not forgotten, he also gets to enjoy his share of festive fare.

At the end of the day a feeling of satisfaction envelopes us, not from over indulgence of food and gifts, but from giving of oneself to enable others to enjoy the peace of Christmas when life is seemingly difficult for them. Even Miss Teenager at the end of the day announced that "this was the nicest Christmas I have ever experienced" and wished to repeat it the following year"!

Rose McGregor