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| Sister Maureen Craig holding a patient's hand at St. Johns Hospital Part of the NODA Program |
SUSAN CLOKE
Columnist
“The scientist in me knows that we don’t thrive
alone. When we’re born we need
human contact. Throughout our life
we know from science and from our own emotions that we need human contact to
thrive. In dying we can no more be
alone that we can at birth.
“I’m not religious but I am spiritual. It makes me feel good to be able to be
with the dying person, to touch them, to hold their hand, to make human
contact. I want to be there for
people. It means a lot to me,” said
Melissa McRae
McRae is a native of Santa Barbara who studied
at both UCSB and UCLA. She
currently works at St. Johns as a Surgery Administrative Coordinator. She volunteers for the No One
Dies Alone (NODA) program at St. Johns.
NODA was the idea of a Critical Care Nurse named
Sandra Clarke. She wrote, “there
seems to be an unwritten universal protocol (among nurses) for the patient who
is dying without the presence of friends or family. One’s other patients’ care will be taken over by nearby
nurses. Rituals of passing are
acted out: I’ve seen nurses quietly singing, holding the hand of the dying,
and, in all other manners of behavior, showing care and respect while an
individual passes on to death.
Nurses know the awe of being present at the birth or the death of
another human. I believe awe and
privilege is an innate human response at these times – the very essence of
humanity.”
That unwritten protocol became a formal program
now known as “No One Dies Alone” and it was founded at Sacred Heart Medical
Center in Eugene Oregon in November of 2001. Hospitals and
health centers across the country have followed their lead. St. Johns began their NODA program in
2004.
Sister Maureen Craig, a person happily known to
all who work at St. Johns said, “St. Johns has a long tradition, rooted in the
mission of the hospital, for compassionate care. I am thankful for the volunteers carrying our traditions
forward. Through the years our
numbers have diminished and work that was once done by the Sisters has now
become part of the lives of our volunteers. We love the fact that the loving care we so believe in is
being continued by the hundreds of volunteers at St. Johns and by the
remarkable volunteers of the No One Dies Alone program.”
Grenda Pearlman, Director of Volunteer Services
at St. Johns reports, “the NODA program currently has about 25 volunteers. Each one attends orientation sessions
and receives training. The current
volunteers range in age from their early 20’s to their late 70’s. The requirement for being a NODA
volunteer is “an interest in being advocates for the patient. These patients are on comfort care and
our goal at St. Johns is to see they have no physical pain and to offer
compassionate care.
“NODA volunteers are special people and it is
not something that everybody can or should do. But if it is something a person can do then it is not only a
gift to the patient it is also a gift to the volunteer,” said Pearlman. (For
information about volunteering for the NODA program of for any of the St. Johns
programs contact Grenda Pearlman at 310 829 8434 or grenda.pearlman@st.johns.org)
Marge Gold is a NODA volunteer who provides care
to patients and who also helps the Director with program organization and
coordination. Gold talked about
what she learned from being a NODA volunteer. “NODA has taught me to just be there in whatever way the
patient needs, to suspend judgment and to come with no expectations about the
patient or the family. I hope I
always say and do whatever is needed and am of help. It’s a profound experience and I’m grateful to be a part.”
Like other volunteers for NODA, Nancy Cronig has
a long series of accomplished volunteer work on her resume. Currently she is an actor in the Moot
Court program at UCLA, is part of the St. Johns Surgery Waiting Room Volunteer
program and a NODA volunteer.
Recounting her NODA experiences Cronig said, “I
came to realize that even in a coma a person hears you. I play music and sing to them. I hold their hand. I wipe their brow and put ointment on
their lips and do other things to make them comfortable. I advocate for them when they can’t
advocate for themselves.
“When I got called for my first patient I didn’t
know what to expect. I sat with
her and held her hand and played music for her. I was so thankful to be able to pass on some of help I have
gotten in my life to someone who was in need. It is a healing experience.”
From the beginning of St. Johns to now much has
changed in health care. The work
of being a physician and the physician’s commitment to each patient is a value
we agree to as a nation. One we
all want to protect. However the
delivery of health care, cost of health care, and availability of health care
remains in the public, the political and the economic spotlight.
In addition medical technology has made great
advancements bringing great benefits but adding to the ethical questions that have
always been part of medicine.
A discussion of the forces shaping our national
health care is, and needs to be, ongoing.
Throughout what can sometimes be a contentious debate individual people,
across the nation, are using their time to volunteer in ways that support the
commitment to each individual patient. NODA is one part of the answer to the ethical
questions of our time.
What Say You?
