Catherine and I were assigned to hospice today and from what other students were saying, they really enjoyed it but mostly said it was basic CNA care. I figured today would be a pretty normal day, especially because of my experience as a CNA in Milwaukee. We arrived to the hospice center via the back of a pick up truck, along with two other direct entry students. When we got to the center, we were brought into a patient's room who needed to be bathed and changed. This man was really nice and had a very positive attitude. He was very gracious and thankful for our help and I felt like I was doing something positive for him. He had the most intense pressure ulcer I had ever seen and it was really sad to know he was experiencing something that vicious. We then visited a woman who was thirty years old who was suffering from alcoholism and malnutrition. I had learned from other students that she would refuse all of her meals because of her lack of appetite. We bathed and changed her as well as did some range of motion and then moved onto the next patient. One of our patients had been at hospice for seven years and he has quite the vocabulary! He didn't like getting his daily cares completed (and he cursed my mother a few times) but we got through it and had a few laughs together in the process! After we finished up our duties, we began folding gauze to have them sterilized. A few pictures can be seen below of Catherine in action. Our ride was supposed to pick us up at noon but we realized that we'd been forgotten. We made the best of it though by helping out around hospice some more.
The woman we worked with today works 12 hours a day at hospice as well as a 6 year old son she raises on her own. How she does it all is a mystery to me. She had an remarkable outlook on life however and it was truly inspiring. If I get anything out of my time here in Peru, it'll be that I've realized life is too short to complain about the hard times we'll face. There is so much good around us and we just have to make the best of every situation because we aren't given what we can't handle. I went back to visit with my patient who was suffering from malnutrition and alcoholism and saw that her liquid meal was prepared and ready for her. I asked if she was hungry to which she replied she wasn't, but I asked her if she'd like to try the food that was made for her. She obliged and within five minutes all of her food was gone. I was absolutely amazed with what a little patience can do. Her desire to get better was awe-inspiring. Afterwards, I asked Catherine if she would like to pray with her as well and we all prayed the Our Father in Spanish. The patient prayed along with us in a feeble voice but she said it all. Before I knew it, my eyes were filling up with tears for reasons unknown. The sheer strength of these patients is extraordinary and astounding. I sincerely believe my day in hospice has changed the way I view medicine and healthcare.
Catherine putting together gauze to be sterilized
Gauze packages
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