Hospice offers support for the soul

Hospice says ‘We see you. We want to help you. We are with you.’

Judith Stewart recently marked 15 years in her role of offering ‘‘support for the soul’’ as Spiritual Support person at Hospice Southland and she says that every day she sees the impact those three simple sentences have.

‘‘Simple ideas are often very powerful. Putting them into practice can be challenging and requires a high level of commitment and expertise.

We know the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and the same could be said at the other end of life.

‘‘I think Hospice encompasses the image of a village, not only because our doctors and nurses work collaboratively with our psychologist, counsellors, day programme co-ordinator, social worker and myself, as we all provide support emotionally, psychologically and spiritually to patients and their families, but because we are supported to do this work by the Southland community for the Southland community.

Working for an organisation that has at it’s heart, hundreds of volunteers giving generously of their time and energy brings an amazing positivity to those of us who carry out that work directly.

This is a work that values people until they take their very last breath.

It also understands the deep pain of grief.

We continue to offer support to families in their bereavement.

Having a life limiting illness and undergoing the process of letting go of everything you value and everyone you love is a deeply transforming experience both for the person who has the illness, and for their family. It’s no mean feat, and just as we all live our lives as individuals we also let go of life in our own individual way, as is our right to do.

So many people are lovingly supported and accompanied by their loved ones to the end of their life. When times are hard, people stretch into a new place, so often finding depths of courage and reslilience they didn’t know they had.

In a space of no cure, healing can be present.

Healing may happen in a moment, when relationships are healed, a person comes to a place of peace, when their pain is managed and they are able to rest.

Healing comes through care and

Spiritual Support Person at Hospice, Judith Stewart has been working in her role for 15 years. Photo: SUPPLIED caring. Through skill and expertise, and kindness and compassion.

All of us at Hospice feel privileged to have our part in the sacred journey of dying and we each hope to make a difference.

‘‘We see you. We want to help you. We are with you.’’