China News Service, Beijing, April 4th: Title: Approaching hospice care: Let your life "turn around" without leaving any regrets
China News Service reporter Xu Jing
Walking into the hospice ward area of Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital affiliated to Tsinghua University (referred to as "Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital"), a "long river of life" flows quietly in the corridor. This long scroll with more than 400 names written on it is the mark left by the people who spent their last days here.
"The Long River of Life" scroll painting. Photo provided by interviewee
Different from wards in other departments, each hospice ward has a special name: "Peace of the Soul", "Quiet House" and "Best Victory"... Nurse Zhou Xiaoyi told China News Network that only one person lives in each ward here. The name of the room is chosen or named by the patient himself. Walking into the room, the "Warmth Week Plan" posted on the wall shows that on the day of the interview, the nurse will teach the family members "Peace Guardian" - to become excellent family caregivers.
Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is one of the first batch of hospice care demonstration bases in Beijing. Lu Guijun, director of the pain department and person in charge of hospice care at the hospital, said that the hospital's hospice care began to receive patients in 2019, mainly including patients with terminal tumors, terminal elderly patients, and patients with terminal chronic diseases. Over the past four years, a hospice care system including special needs wards, medical insurance wards, medical consortium wards, and home hospice has been established.
The primary goal of palliative care is to help patients and families prevent and relieve suffering and improve their quality of life. However, it is not an easy task to allow patients to spend their last days with dignity.
Lu Guijun said that hospice care is different from traditional medical care. After each patient is admitted to the hospital, a team consisting of a doctor in charge, a nurse in charge, a case manager, a psychological counselor, a clinical pharmacist, a medical social worker, a folklore expert and volunteers will be established. The team provides comprehensive care for patients from the physical, psychological, social relationship and spiritual beliefs levels.
"Treat a patient and take care of a family." He said that in the hospice ward, the patient's departure is called "turning around." The doctor in charge will participate in the farewell ceremony, intervene in the grief of the family members, and conduct regular follow-up visits with the family members.
Family rest station in the hospice ward of Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Photo by Xu Jing
"Phospice care can help patients 'face death calmly.'" In 2021, after her husband underwent a series of surgeries and chemotherapy, Yuanyuan (pseudonym) promised not to choose traumatic rescue and treatment for him, and was recommended by a doctor. Go to Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for palliative care.
During the period of tranquility at home, the doctor in charge often visited Yuanyuan's home to follow up, adjust medication at any time according to the situation at that time, provide psychological care and provide emotional support. "Doctors became my most powerful companion during that time." Yuanyuan said that hospice care helped her, who was frightened at the time, learn to face death and leave no regrets when bidding farewell to her lover.
A few months after the death of a female patient, Lu Guijun accurately stated her commute route when asked how her daughter was doing. The daughter's words, "I knew my mother still cared about me," made Lu Guijun more willing to believe that hospice practitioners are the "memory boxes that store love" left behind by many people who have passed away.
Zhou Xiaoyi works in the hospice ward. Photo by Xu Jing
Zhou Xiaoyi, a "post-90s generation", came to work in the hospice ward from the surgery department last year. Here, when she experienced the patient's "turn around" for the first time, she watched the old man's wife put him into a Chinese tunic suit, and the doctor in charge lit the warm yellow electronic candlelight. At that moment, she felt that death could not be cold, and could even bring relief. With warmth, it becomes a very dignified thing.
Every doctor must first know and understand death himself. From being at a loss when facing death for the first time as an intern at the age of 20, to now traveling across the country to provide life education, Lu Guijun believes that the more you know about death, the less fear you have. He hopes to use palliative care to lead the understanding of life and death and the culture of life: if the death procedure under medical care can alleviate symptoms, it is not as painful as people imagine.
In recent years, China has actively promoted the development of palliative care services. Beijing is gradually improving a hospice care service system based on communities and homes, supplemented by institutions, and integrating continuous institutional and home-based hospice care services. By 2025, at least one hospice care center will be established in each district, and the city will provide hospice care services. There are no less than 1,800 beds, and the needs for hospice care services for the elderly are basically met.
"The 'quality' of life is more important than the 'length'. The promotion of palliative care hopes to improve the quality of life of more patients." While affirming its necessity, Lu Guijun also said that there are still more regulations and standards in this field. Measures need to be introduced urgently, such as the provision of analgesics and the protection of policies and regulations.
However, in his view, these are not the biggest obstacles to the development of palliative care. Establishing a correct concept of life and death is still a required course for everyone.
Therefore, Lu Guijun walked out of the clinic and went to major universities to teach life and death education courses to popularize the care and healing methods of palliative care. He planned the "Love in Qingming Festival" activities for three consecutive years, through concerts, movie viewings, and cultural and art weeks. and other forms allow people to re-understand life.
"The Long River of Life" scroll painting. Photo provided by interviewee
Today, at Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, the "river of life" under the protection of hospice care slowly flows further and further, not only warming patients and their families, but also making more and more people feel strength and hope. Liu Chunying, a hospice ward nurse who is over 50 years old, plans to register for this year's social work exam. She said, "Working here requires you to be enthusiastic, careful and attentive to everyone. If I can do something to the best of my ability for others at my age, I think it is quite meaningful." (End)