Dear Editor Valentine’s Day is all about love and I would like to share my true story that demonstrates the bond between hospice and love. She has lost her vision and can’t see him. He has lost much of his auditory function and can’t hear “worth a lick.” For two years, although in a wheelchair, he has visited her for every meal, every day. She is weak and has been on hospice care for almost three months. I am there to offer support as a member of her hospice team. The volume and tone of his voice express his frustration. To those in the hall it sounds like he’s angry, however, I can see the watery, salty tears pooling in his eyes. They tentatively gather there at the precipice of his lower eyelid, afraid to risk letting go, just like him. I sense there’s something more. He continues, “What do you want!? Tell me what you want to eat. You can’t just not eat Joyce!” He touches the spoon to her lips again. Nothing. Her lips move and I lean in. “Tell him,” her voice fades. “Yes Joyce,” I encourage. “Tell him,” she says before pausing and moistening her lips, […]
↧