Home Health Aides are a part of the San Diego Hospice care team

As a healthcare professional, I often recall a lesson I learned long ago from a colleague. She reminded me that as I do my work, “I alone do it, but I don’t do it alone.” I realize the importance of this lesson as it relates to my role as a certified nursing assistant and home health aide (CNA/CHHA) for San Diego Hospice.

In my role and as part of the hospice team, I ensure a patient’s physical comfort level by fulfilling his or her personal hygiene needs. Personally and professionally, I value and respect the individuality of each patient and family member I meet.

As a team, we support patients and families by presenting choices and opportunities that help to meet the patient’s goals for care. This philosophy allows patients to have control over their healthcare decisions and to be partners in their care, an important aspect of how hospice care benefits individuals living with a serious illness.

When you consider coming into a patient’s life as a complete stranger, and caring for them during a very important and intimate time, it is amazing to experience the trust that these patients place in me…in all of us as healthcare professionals. What I try to do while interacting with patients and family members is to create a cocoon of peace. I try to provide the best possible care to meet their needs, in a safe and comfortable environment, on each and every visit I make. I realize that fulfilling my duties effectively and with compassion has a positive impact on how our hospice team meets the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of those in need of our care.

Those outside of hospice often ask me how I do what is perceived to be a daunting task. Quite honestly, I tell folks that I do not know how I do it; I just know I can do it. It is an honor to share in a patient’s life and a privilege to be a part of each patient’s journey.

Carol Andrews began her career in hospice as a volunteer with San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine, before becoming a CNA/CHHA. She has been with the organization for more than 12 years.