Cliff* is a 75-year-old male with leukemia receiving hospice care from Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care. Cliff was raised in church. He describes a time when he was eight years old at a church worship service where he felt the very presence of God.
Physical pain at end of life is easy to recognize and the treatment plan is clear. However, when a patient is suffering from emotional or spiritual pain at end of life, treatment isn’t as easy as writing a prescription.
One of the fundamental beliefs of Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is that no one should die alone. When a patient begins to show signs and symptoms that death is approaching, our team begins what we call Evenmore Care. A staff member sits beside to support the patient and their family until they pass away.
The human spirit, like the mind and body, is a natural dimension of every one of us. It is our awareness of our place in the world, our relations with others, and our overall sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Sometimes in life, an unexpected loss can prevent us from saying the important things that need to be said to our loved ones before they pass. In these cases, we may be left with lifelong regrets, wondering things like “what if I had a chance to say goodbye?”
