Residents Can Become End of Life Companions for Loved Ones

Once someone is born, there is non-stop fanfare and celebration; but when the end of life comes for those with no family or friends to provide comfort and solace, it can be a very sad and lonely experience. Redlands Community Hospital has found a way to provide reassuring comfort to those who have no one to be by their side during their final days and hours with the Pastoral Care Department’s No One Dies Alone Program. “The program seeks to provide a deep reassuring presence to dying patients who otherwise would be alone,” said Debbie Evans, MSW, Director Social Services and Pastoral Care at Redlands Community Hospital. “Our Compassionate Companions, along with the Nursing and Support staff, offer patients a precious human gift—a dignified death.” The program assists individuals with no family, as well as those whose family members are unable to sit at their relative’s side for hours on end. “We had a patient hospitalized who, along with the family, decided to stop aggressive care following a long battle with cancer. The patient's spouse was then admitted to the hospital with a life-threatening emergency and opted to the treatment of palliative care. The only family present for both hospitalized patients was a daughter who was exhausted trying to divide time between her dying parents. The nurse requested the presence of a Compassionate Companion to provide solace to the daughter with the comfort in knowing that neither of her parents would die alone,” explained Evans, citing an example of the assistance that the program offers. “The Compassionate Companion sat for hours at the bedside of the patient.” The Pastoral Care Department at RCH is currently looking for community members willing to sit at the bedside of a person making their transition from this life to the next. The goal of the program is to take ordinary people with a compassionate heart to assist others and train them into becoming part of an extraordinary group of individuals who sit with the dying, so no one has to die alone. Those interested in participating will take part in a training class to assist them in learning about this life changing experience. In this role, volunteers, known at the hospital as Compassionate Companions, will assist by completing four-hour shifts with a patient who has neither close family nor friends to be with them near the end of their life. Compassionate Companions will be trained to understand the hospital culture and learn about the medical aspects of what terminally-ill patients are going through as they prepare to leave this life. “The goal of ‘No One Dies Alone’ is to ensure that our patients feel that extra touch of humanity, feeling relaxed and comfortable during their last hours,” adds Evans. “Volunteering is the core of human compassion, and the Pastoral Care Department is committed to providing this heart-felt and unique service to our community.” For more information about the program or how to become a member, contact the pastoral care department at 909-335-5552.