Three Hours to Make a Good Impression
Captain Ron’s VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
December 2009
It has been said that we never get a second chance to make a good first impression. It may be stating the obvious but it’s true. Overcoming a bad introduction or entry takes time and effort. It’s best, when possible, to put the effort into making a good first impression. In Hospice we may not get a chance for a second impression. One out of every eight patients passes away within 72 hours of coming on to Hospice service. For some the time on Hospice amounts to a matter of hours.
What can be done to make a good impression in three hours, if that is all we have? It’s a question that our staff has had to face numerous times. Though each person on the Care Team has a specific job to do, they make an impression as a Team. From the time our admissions nurse speaks with a patient, family member, physician or facility nurse impressions are being made. Are we both competent and compassionate? Have we conveyed to those in need that we are here for them, that we are fully present, that all of our experience will be put to use to wrap them in a loving embrace to help the final hours of life go peacefully for both the dying and the survivors?
When we’ve had a few months to really get to know a patient and a family we’ve counted it as a special blessing. We become extensions of the family in a small way. From having called us at night or on weekends they already know that we’ll be there when they need us. We have time to help teach caregivers how to be better at their labor of love, as well as take care of themselves. When a death comes our Bereavement Team makes a natural transition, building on the history we have with the family. Not surprising, such families will often include “In lieu of flowers please consider a gift to Lower Valley Hospice” in the obituary.
It was surprising to me, though it shouldn’t have been, when we began receiving numerous memorial gifts for a patient who was not on our service very long. It had been a challenging situation, however, and the staff worked overtime, above and beyond their usual excellence. Somehow, within the space of a few hours, we had been able to leave a great and lasting first impression, taking care of someone who was beloved to many. Our work said to the community that they can count on us and the community said thank you by sending us resources to help compensate for the cost of our going that extra mile.
When things like this happen I want to know what went right. We have procedures in place to investigate complaints and things going wrong and we take them very seriously. We have procedures in place to ensure that things don’t go wrong and they work very well. But when the potential for disaster turns into a jewel in the crown it makes me wonder, what was that extra ingredient that went into the care of one patient in particular?
The more I searched the more I realized that there was nothing special about the staff, apart from the fact that they are some of the most fantastic people I have ever had the honor of working with. They did great stuff, but they give every patient that same care, whether they have months to do it or only three hours. I finally decided that what made the difference is that we find ourselves blessed with some incredible people right now. Not everyone survives past the two-year point working in Hospice. For those who do, however, there is an incredible wealth of experience, compassion and commitment to end-of-life care.
I need to add a word or two about Hospice volunteers also. Each of our patients has the option of having a volunteer come in. Some sit and talk, some read or even sing with patients. Some bring pictures and some play games. But all of them have chosen to do something that can only be described as noble. When a new volunteer brought along a high school student to a training I thought, “What a wonderful way to model to your child what it means to give dignity to others, no matter what their situation.” This parent made a great first impression on me.
Rev. Ron Jetter, Executive Director Lower Valley Hospice and Palliative Care