Thursday, September 30, 2010

Hospice

I have a new hospice patient, a lovely older gentleman. His wife and primary caregiver is still a little wary of the hospice system, but I paid them a visit last week and sat with him while she took a bath and had a little time to herself. I think he was a little irascible about the fact that he needed someone to watch him while she was still in the house, but he was very courteous. We played a game of chess together. I am not a great player, and am lucky if I can remember which way the players move, but he was very gracious about helping me out and telling me if I had made a bad move. In the end, we came to a draw so I guess I didn't do too badly. I'm not sure what he thought of the whole experience; a perfect stranger invading his home and forcing him to play bad chess when all he wanted to do was rest but they invited me back so I guess I did something right!

3 comments:

  1. I think the fact that you engaged him, as a person, probably made all the difference in the world. Many of the professional caregivers I know are all "business" and don't invest themselves personally.

    Anyway, thanks for sharing, it's a great reminder! :) Good luck on that next game of Chess!

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  2. Thank you so much for the comment, encouragement, and especially for reading! Please drop by again.

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