Anyone who’s lost a loved one knows how difficult that process is to navigate. Amid such emotional oscillation, it’s easy to forget the needs of the professional caregivers who are guiding a dying person through the last months of their life. But these hospice workers need care, too, and Santa Barbara’s nonprofit VNA Health is there to serve this labor force.
“Caregivers are part of some extremely intimate moments, whether it’s between you and the patient or the patient and their family,” said Dairine Pearson, VNA Health’s bereavement coordinator and counselor. “You’re there as a worker, but we’re also human beings. We have empathy for people, and you inevitably forge some very emotional connections, so their passing can be difficult for caregivers too.”
This is especially true because the hospice care provided by VNA Health’s team is so thorough, as they ensure that the patient’s “whole self” is taken care of. “We have to tend to medical needs, of course, but there’s more to dying than just medical care,” said Sena Woodall, director of hospice at VNA. “We also have to attend to patient’s emotional and psychological needs, even their spiritual needs. What we try to do here is make sure that everyone comes to the end of life in a setting that provides dignity and support.”