I have been going to a placed called Caritas Christi Hospice Centre this past week, a place of palliative care where people who are diagnosed as 'dying' are transferred to, so that their dying needs are met, and that they die in comfort and dignity.
Sometimes it is quite a sad sight. I see patients in the beds, most of which are either very frail, or comatose. I see the look of death on their faces, the pale face, soulless stare, drowsy eyes (a lot of which is probably due to the amount of Morphine given to reduce their pain/suffering) etc.
Sometimes it is quite a heart-warming sight. There is a creative arts room in this hospice, where patients and their family members can express themselves. Patients that are well enough are regularly encouraged to draw their own 'circle-of-life'. I saw 1 of these pictures when we were given a tutorial on pastoral care. This picture was drawn by a guy who spent 25 out of his 42 years in jail. His circle of life had 4 quadrants. The top left quadrant had butterflies, probably signifying his readiness to transition from life here to the next (caterpillar morphs into a butterfly, butterflies have always been symbols of death n afterlife); the top right quadrant had his trademark bird, which was interpreted as his want of freedom; the bottom left quadrant had his handprint, which was interpreted as 'talk-to-the-hand', perhaps he wanted to convey how he was always misunderstood for his actions, and felt that people did not understand him; and the bottom right quadrant was a dolphin, wasn't very sure what it signified, but perhaps it also meant freedom, or maybe it meant that like dolphins he could communicate telepathically?
There were also other heart-warming activities. Patients and their families could purchase little plates, and make their fingreprint-butterflies, which meant using fingerprints to form the shape of butterflies. In fact, there was even a fingerprint butterfly wall in this hospice.
Memorials are held at every one year anniversary, where families and friends of deceased people at Caritas Christi Hospice Centre are invited to attend memorial services, in honour of their loved ones. The lady from pastoral care explained that it was sort of a closure for many staff members of CC as well, because most of the time by the time a patient died here, staff members would have formed a close bond with their patient.
For some people, Caritas Christi is a place where everybody drives past praying/wishing they NEVER have to end up there. For others, admission into CC spells doomsday. Yet I believe, and judging from most of the response of the in-patients and family members and friends of the dying, one could not die a more dignified death. A painless, calm death, where the dying have had a chance to express their dying selves to the full, where family members and friends have ample opportunity to be given counselling and support throughout the dying process and even after the death of their loved one.
Rest in peace, dear dying ones.
