Through the eyes of a carer
Regular aromatherapy on home care visits
(by Tapasia Keet)

Since the end of October, I have been visiting home care patients to give aromatherapy, mainly in the form of foot massage.

We use almond oil mixed with essential oils. This massage oil is donated to us by Mr Harlalka from Sugandhim, House of Aromatheraphy Products & Essential Oils in Haridwar.

Tapasia administering an oil massage

The massage works by relaxing and detoxing the body, and the results are different for each patient. Each situation is also different for me. I don't speak Hindi so I have to watch very carefully and feel what is right for the patient that I am with. During the massage, I see the face change, I feel the muscles relax, and sometimes tears are shed.

A simple smile on the face of the terminally ill breast cancer patient—who can do nothing but sit (even while sleeping) and wait for her suffering to come to an end—is heartwarming.

It is not easy to write about my experience because the feelings of gratitude and love that I have when I am working with these patients are impossible to put into words.

One patient who has a lot of pain and discomfort, and who cannot sit because of his rectum cancer, totally relaxed after his first massage. The next time I came to his home with the nurse, he laid down on the floor immediately, waiting for his massage. The whole family was sitting around us, but he closed his eyes and relaxed.

When I go on home visits with our nurse and driver, I can see the light that we bring. The medical care, the love and attention for the patient and their family makes their situation a little bit easier. Aromatherapy is a wonderful addition to this care. When massage is not possible for some reason, we provide oil and a diffuser. A few drops of lavender oil are put on each patient's pillow.

Hospice care in Montreal
(by Amélie Julien)

Since 2004, I have been part of the care team at La Maison d’Hérelle which is a hospice in Montreal, Canada. In the last two years, we have received an increasing number of requests for admittance from people affected by both cancer and HIV/AIDS.

In 2008, 25% of our patients were diagnosed with cancer. When a person is diagnosed with cancer it is hard to accept because it means there is a severe risk to his life. For a person with HIV to receive such a diagnosis is a double blow, as he is learning for the second time that his life is hanging by a thread.

Our patients have the opportunity to live in an environment in which they are respected in all the stages they pass through. We accept the patients as they are and try to follow their rhythm as much as possible. Instead of having a rigid framework within which everyone should fit, we try to adjust our framework so each person can find his own place in the house. That’s why we have a personal care plan for each patient, which is written with the patient and adapted to his own needs. The care plan helps the team to work together with the patient and ensures that the care given is informed and consistent. We have regular team meetings in which we share our observations and try to see how we can make patients feel more comfortable and to the best of our abilities, ensure that their needs are met.

We also give special attention to the family and friends of our residents. We always take time to answer their questions, to explain what they need to understand and to support them. Once they feel at ease, we include the patient’s close ones in the care that we provide to their loved one. The major task for us is to give them information about the disease and the nature of the end-of-life care. We offer psychological support too. By being a support to the family or friend, they have a better understanding of the disease and its implications, which makes them more receptive to the patient’s reality. This in turn improves the quality of life of the patient.

By staying in a hospice, our patients are able to focus on what is important to them, and we take care of all the other things that guarantee their comfort. We encourage them to actively participate in improving the quality of their life. We support them in doing what they are able to do and to stay autonomous for as much as possible and as long as possible.

The success of our hospice is based on our approach. We include patients in the decision making process as much as possible. We feel the solidarity and camaraderie, not only among staff members and volunteers, but also among the patients. It is not always easy, but the people in the hospice do their best to create a pleasant atmosphere by respecting everyone’s differences. We believe that those differences are a strength rather than a weakness. We learn a lot by living with difference. We learn about others but we also learn a lot about ourselves too.

La Maison d’Hérelle is truly a home for many people. We have people who have stayed with us that come back to visit because they miss the place. Others come back to do volunteer work or to join the team. When we pass by Maison d’Hérelle, we remember it is a hospice full of life, respect and dignity.

I hope that in future, more hospices will rise up to provide this kind of quality palliative care, especially in areas of the world such as India, where facilities for palliative care are few and far between. I trust that we can bring back human values like compassion and co-operation and that we can fight against the loneliness so often brought about by disease.

PATIENT'S STORIES
Cancer patients and their loved ones are invited to write to us about their views, thoughts and feelings. We will include as many letters, articles and stories as is possible in these web pages.

Please send your article to Nani Ma: nanima@gangapremhospice.org