ABSTRACT
There’s a need to be sensitive, but those opportunities arise. I feel that because I have no fear of death, it is a position of strength and usefulness, with potential to help people. I know that when I am nursing dying people, to be able to walk into a room and not be frightened by the gurgling or breathlessness (which for family is so challenging) allows you to engage in a strong, confident, compassionate way. The fact that their loved one is dying is seriously scary. Knowing the correct medication to use – how to move a patient – and all that nursing stuff is comforting, but the value in being there, being calm as you tend to their needs is also significant. I can do it, because I’ve seen people die. It can be messy and painful and tormented, but this is what happens, and there’s nothing to fear. My role is to be a compassionate, strong presence and in some way offer some hope or calm for those present.
