Introduction:

1. What is your name?
Bev King

2. Which hospice do you work for?
Hospice Wits

3. What do you do there?
Home Care Sister

4. How long have you been there?
10 years

In-depth:

1. Why did you decide to focus on palliative care?
I knew I would when I trained in 1973.

2. What gives you the greatest fulfilment?
Being able to support and help patient and family.

3. What do you find the most challenging?
Unable to help.

4. What do you think people find the most challenging about a life-threatening diagnosis?
Death.

5. What do you think that you personally bring to your job that reflects who you are as a person?
Take the fear of dying away.

6. How do you take care of your own health and balance?
Exercise daily, garden and play bowls.

7. What is your advice to anyone else wishing to join your profession?
To listen and accept the way things unfold.

8. What is your advice to anyone given a life-threatening diagnosis?
To take time to digest and then do research for the way forward.

9. What is your advice to the loved ones of anyone who is given a life-threatening diagnosis?
To love and support the patient’s choices.

10. How do your loved ones feel about the work that you do?
They don’t understand how I love doing it.

11. What do you like the most about the hospice that you work with?
Team work with colleagues.