National Nursing Assistants Week: Spotlight on Hospice Aides
“What can I do for you today?”
Gilchrist hospice aides approach every Gilchrist patient, every time, with those words. We are committed to providing each patient with the care that we would want for our own loved ones.
Like every Gilchrist team member, the goal of a hospice aide is to provide people the support and care that allows them to live their final days to the fullest in the place that provides the most solace.
The work of a hospice aide can be challenging but also rewarding. We provide the everyday personal care patients need such as bathing, dressing and feeding. Many hospice aides are also trained in ‘Caring Touch,’ a type of massage that promotes relaxation and comfort to enhance physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Caring Touch benefits those experiencing pain, fear, anxiety, loneliness, depression and anticipatory grief as they approach the end of life.
Hospice aides must possess the intangible qualifications of patience, caring and the ability to provide emotional support to our patients and their families. For many of our patients, not being able to do things as they used to can lead to frustration. Hospice aides ease this frustration through their compassionate care. They help to restore a sense of dignity as well as offering much-needed relief for family caregivers.
Hospice aides are vital to the team and family
Hospice aides can be thought of as the eyes, ears and hands of the Gilchrist care teams. Because they see patients so frequently, hospice aides are often the first to notice changes in a patient’s physical or emotional needs and can quickly report these changes to the team.
We collaborate with patients and families to make sure we provide care that meets their specific goals. This care is unique to each person’s specific situation. Some patients need more hands-on care than others. And as an illness progresses, a person may require more and more support.
Hospice aides are a vital part of a comprehensive team dedicated to providing the highest quality of care for terminally ill patients. Every Gilchrist hospice aide is committed to providing quality compassionate care, counseling and support to people at every stage of serious illness so they may live life to the fullest.
“Is there anything else I can do?” are words every Gilchrist hospice aide leaves with every Gilchrist patient, every time.
Learn more about Gilchrist
To learn more about the hospice care Gilchrist provides, visit: https://gilchristcares.org/services/hospice/