Hehr 1

Aneesh Hehr
Dr. Corvino
PHI 1110-501
April 24, 2017
Honors Reflection Paper: The Role of Hospice in a Medical Setting
Over the course of this semester, we covered many divisive topics such as research ethics,

abortion and surrogacy. Particularly, we discussed the ethics of euthanasia. While exploring

themes in this topic, one of the ideas we talked about was palliative care, defined as care focused

on relieving pain and promoting quality of life. This prompted me to get involved with an

organization that primarily focuses on palliative care. Therefore, this semester I volunteered with

the Hospice of Windsor as a Patient Care Assistant (PCA). This essay will explore my role as a

volunteer, how it related to course material and how Hospice has influenced my opinion on the

role of palliative care in medicine.

The Hospice residential home consisted of eight rooms (equipped with music, TV,

gardens, patios and washrooms). A Registered Nurse and a Personal Support Worker would be

working at all times and physicians would visit on certain days. As a PCA, I would assist the

nurse with patient transfer, lifting, moving, bathing, dressing and feeding. Another key point is

that at this Hospice, all the patients generally had less than three months to live. Overall, it was a

very hands on patient care experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

While volunteering there where many instances where a concept from class directly

applied to the hospice setting. For example, one of the authors had the opinion that euthanasia

should only be permissible if pain management is not a viable option. After seeing real life

examples of this, I now hold the same stance as the author. The patients were given daily doses

of pain management medication despite having a prognosis of less than three months to live.

More often than not, patients were comfortable and happier because their pain was being

managed. For some patients, it gave them an opportunity to decide how they wanted to be

remembered by their loved ones. For example, on one of the Saturdays I was volunteering, I was
 Hehr 2

presented with an unusual but memorable task. My job was to help a patient paint a clay plate

and mug because she wanted her husband to remember her when he would sit down to eat food.

Thus, I believe that palliative care also restores patient autonomy by giving them the option to be

comfortable before death.

My time as a volunteer at hospice also strengthened my belief that euthanasia could work

in a medical setting given proper training and safeguards. One of the arguments against

euthanasia was that it would weaken the legal prohibition of homicide. There is a concern that

people would take it upon themselves to euthanize patients even if they do not have

authorization. However, with the amount of training we received as volunteers I believe that this

is unlikely to be the outcome. We received extensive training once a week for 10 weeks in which

guest speakers would give presentations. Over the course of the 10 weeks, they consistently

informed us that it was not our role to aid a patient who is requesting medicine to commit

suicide. With the intensity and vigor that they trained us, I believe that euthanasia can be a viable

option in a medical setting.

Another thing I appreciated was the approach of the healthcare professionals to the

residents in hospice. Rather than disregarding the persons wishes to be informed of their current

health, the residents of hospice were treated like patients. This meant they would receive routine

checkups, counseling and medication when a physical factor was reducing their level of comfort.

For example, a common problem was that patients suffered from bed sores because they were

lying down in one position for extended periods of time. Everyday, the nurse would go around to

clean these wounds, apply medication and relay advice on how to avoid getting more sores. The

emphasis placed on restoring a persons comfort showed me the vital need for palliative care in

our society. Furthermore, it provides reassurance that the patient will not be abandoned simply

because they are close to death. Simple things like allowing someone to order whatever
 Hehr 3

breakfast, lunch or dinner restore the idea that the patient is still in control of some aspects of

their life, regardless of their physical wellbeing.

Overall, my experience as a Patient Care Assistant was extremely positive at Hospice as

it showed me a real-world application of concepts learned in a classroom setting. This is a

volunteering position that I plan to keep as I continue my education at Wayne State University.

The most important thing I took away from my experience is the following. Hospice showed me

that the purpose of medicine is not just to cure the patient of a disease. The role of medicine

extends to providing comfort and dignity at a time where a person doesnt feel like they have

much control over their life. This helps restore the patients autonomy, which is the central role

of medicine.

Supervisor contact information:

Janice Moroun
HRH Volunteer Coordinator
519-890-3582 (cell)
519-974-7100, ext. 2413