Palliative Care

People have been dying for ever, the job I perform is to help them die. It may seem harsh, but it’s a needed field in nursing. Palliative care is a way to help people that have terminal illnesses, have a nice death. Not all patients come to die; some come for pain and symptom management. Nurses that are dedicated to palliative care are well educated in terminal illnesses, which could be different types of cancer. They are very special souls that I work with. Some families have called us “Angels”. To relieve pain and nausea for patients can become mentally straining. Our goal is to make the patient as comfortable as possible, without over stepping the patient and patient’s family wishes. Palliative care is becoming more common in North America, doctors and nurses have been developing new tools to help patients communicate more effectively. There seems to be a fear of coming to the unit, the fear of the unknown, but when they do finally come down we try our best to make them feel secure in our hands.