There Is No “I” in Team—a Life Lesson
Article by Diane Fasselius, BA, RN, Community Education Specialist
There is no “I’ in team. This term generally refers to sporting events, in which coaches and players discourage working alone. Rather, they promote everyone pulling together to achieve a goal. This adage holds true for the care hospice provides.
Hospice team members pull together to provide the best care possible to address patient needs. This includes not only the physical, but also the social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the patient’s life. The patient remains at the center of the hospice plan of care, while the hospice care team focuses on both the patient and their support network of family and friends.
Hospice team members include the patient’s primary care provider, hospice nurses, social workers, aides, volunteers, counselors, therapists, specialists, and support staff in the hospice office. All work together to contribute to the well-being of the patient. With this team approach, the only “I” that matters is the patient.
Whatever matters to the patient also matters to the hospice team. Each day, they put forth every effort to ensure the best possible quality of life for the patient. Everything is done to honor the patient and their welfare throughout their end-of-life experience. It can be a difficult decision to allow hospice to come into someone’s life but knowing that the focus is on the patient can make all the difference in accepting hospice care.
Book Suggestion: Life Lessons, Two Experts on Death & Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life & Living, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross & David Kessler. Through many years of working with the dying, the authors learned that certain life lessons present over and over again. This book guides readers through practical and spiritual lessons so they can heal what is broken, open themselves to happiness, and live meaningful and fulfilling lives.