In 2011 volunteer Iona Hughan moved from the Children’s Home to the hospice. Care worker Fanele encouraged her to treat the women in her care as she would her own grandmother and to carry out even small tasks patiently and wholeheartedly. Iona saw how singing together, a warm greeting and holding a hand created a sense of closeness.
She was especially moved by caring for an unnamed man who died at the hospice. The team kept him comfortable, prayed for him and treated him with respect after his death. Iona wrote that she would have done no differently for her own brother. Her account shows the meaning of dignity and companionship at the end of life. The patient is not identified here out of respect for his privacy.
Source: Newsletter No. 31, pp. 3–4 (PDF).