Hospice and Palliative Care Teams Share Their Faces and Stories from the Field

There is no doubt that life has changed for each one of us. The coronavirus pandemic has reached every corner of the globe and we have had to learn how to adjust our work and personal lives to be good and responsible members of society. We each play a role in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Many of us are fortunate enough to be able to work from home and limit our exposure to the virus. Health care workers on the front lines do not have this luxury and are putting themselves at risk to do their jobs and care for others. Hospice and palliative care workers are no different; in fact, they are caring for one of the most vulnerable populations. Changes in regulations, increased use of telehealth, and limited use of PPE are just some of the challenges these clinicians are facing and yet they are continuing to provide care in this new reality of uncertainty and fear.

We know that hospice and palliative care professionals will always rise to the challenge. They will typically run toward the fire and do what they can to make the world a better place. NHPCO launched the #hapcFacesOfCaring social media campaign to show the faces and tell the stories of the hospice and palliative care heroes who are continuing to do their jobs, behind masks and sometimes behind glass, to ensure that patients and families are cared for and safe.

We have received so many great photos so far. Many are pictures of the interdisciplinary team members wearing masks and conducting daily work like team meetings virtually or minding proper social distancing measures.  We have seen many photos of pet and music therapy happening on the other side of a window.  Music therapists are getting creative and recording songs for their patients to listen to since they can’t physically be by their side.

Kindful Hospice

Providence Care

Healing Rhythms

Hospice volunteers are no longer seeing patients in person. Many patient volunteers have expressed how heartbreaking it is to not be able to make those in-person visits. It’s what they thrive on and is their purpose. But hospice volunteers are so giving and resourceful that some have come up with other ways to be helpful including making masks for the team or putting together small gifts to give to the patients.

Angelic Health

We are sharing these wonderful photos and stories on NHPCO social media channels daily. It’s so important for the public to see that despite the challenges, uncertainties and risk of being exposed to the virus, hospice and palliative care teams continue to provide care to those who need it. We want to continue to share these positive moments in the coming weeks so we encourage hospice and palliative care team members to share their photos and stories with us so we can, in turn, share them with the world. Photos can also be shared on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using #hapcFacesOfCaring so we can track the posts. 

For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org