To everyone’s benefit
Satisfaction from providing comfort ‘win, win’ for palliative care doctor
Laughing in the face of death and easing the fear of the unknown.
For Dr. David Henderson, those are two facets of his role of working with dying patients that he takes great comfort in – a sentiment he shares with families and the individuals with whom he spends their last moments.
“We left a home the other day and the family was so grateful that we were there. And, you know, it’s heartwarming to see how much people appreciate what you can bring to it and just the relationships that you can build,” said Henderson, a palliative care physician of almost 20 years.
Seeing the “sense of confidence” that patients and families get knowing that they’re part of a team that cares and provides information and guidance on what is happening and what to expect coming down the road, is gratifying, he said, especially in a role that many might find difficult to see where there could be any gratification at all.
“And that’s often the biggest thing that we can offer people, is that knowledge of what is happening and what to expect,”
Henderson said.
“So we can kind of take away some of the fear of the unknown that’s there.”
Henderson, 55, who has been working in Truro with the Nova Scotia Health Authority since 2004, began his medical career as a family doctor 24 years ago, before he began specializing in palliative care.
While some may view the
prospect of working full time with dying patients as being “all sad and gloomy,” his perspective is completely opposite.
“You get so much satisfaction out of doing it, working with families and the patients who really need this kind of care,” Henderson said.
“We get to experience such amazing times with these people, including hearing people’s stories and being able to laugh and experience some of those things that are heartwarming,” he said. “Just to hear some of the stories of what happened and what has gone on in people’s lives. And they’re so willing to share it and they appreciate being able to tell their stories at the same time. So, it’s kind of a win, win for everybody.”
There is no escaping the fact that we all will die, he said. And he has learned many times over that as one nears the end of their life, there is “a lot of reflection that goes on as you start to think about what your life has meant.
“So being able to share that with somebody gives a lot of people a sense of purpose and a lot of satisfaction that way,” he said.