Working on events for St Michael’s Hospice Charity enables me to meet many people in and around Paphos. I obviously have a lot of contact with our shops and the volunteers who do a wonderful job.
Since Pasykaf took over the overall management of the hospice, I decided I would like to meet some of the people at the forefront of the operation. Who better to talk to than some of the nurses? So this week I met Emily Nikolaou, Supervisor for Nurses, Andri Yiakoymou, Head Nurse, and Rachel Christou, Homecare, to find out what it means to them and why they do the job. Between them, they have worked with Pasykaf for a combined 46 years.
Their roles are predominantly focused on homecare and often involve recommending patients to the Hospice, mainly for palliative care.
I opened my interview with a simple question: Why do they do what they do? The general replies were: “Helping people”, “Focused cancer care with patients and family”, and “Building a bond and relationships with patients and family. Sometimes just being there matters.”
When I asked what the most important aspect of their work was, the answer came in unison: Empathy — understanding other people’s feelings.
Their use of the Hospice is mainly for palliative care, but they also admit patients to recover from treatments such as chemotherapy, blood transfusions or rehydration. The majority of patients stay in the Hospice for a short period before returning home. The nurses work closely with the Hospice and families to prepare and empower patients and their families so they can return home with confidence.
Becoming connected with patients and their families must make it particularly tough when, sadly, a patient dies. How do they cope? The main answer was that it is an honour when a family wants you to be involved. A lot of their job is about helping the family, not just the patient. I did touch on the emotional side of dealing with the sadness when a patient dies. I realised this is a very difficult question to answer. Without doubt, each of them deals with it in their own way, but more than anything, they are there for each other during these difficult times.
Although the ladies do not generally deal with children, they pointed out that the Hospice is the only one in Cyprus able to accept children.
One problem they do come across is the belief that the Hospice is only for end-of-life care. The message is now beginning to get through that this is not the case. The Hospice can provide valuable support at different stages of a patient’s illness.
After leaving the ladies, I was convinced that the work they do alongside the Hospice is much needed for people and families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses. I hope that, by reading this article, you will agree and help support St Michael’s Hospice Charity.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.stmichaelshospicecharity.com, visit one of our shops, or scan the QR code.