Introduction:

1.What is your name?
Lorraine Pillai

2. Which hospice do you work for?
Highway Hospice

3.What do you do there?
Home Care Nursing

4. How long have you been there?
6 weeks

In-depth:

1. Why did you decide to focus on palliative care?
I felt that I needed the change from bedside nursing and to have the necessary skills to assist patients with advanced incurable diseases.

2. What gives you the greatest fulfilment?
Being able to help people in need.

3. What do you find the most challenging?
Helping a patient and their families to come to terms with the fact that they are going to die.

4. What do you think people find the most challenging about a life-threatening diagnosis?
Acceptance of their diagnosis and prognosis.

5. What do you think that you personally bring to your job that reflects who you are as a person?
Empathy, patience and understanding.

6. How do you take care of your own health and balance?
Try to stay healthy by exercising and eating healthily and maintaining a balance by talking to colleagues about my daily experiences.

7. What is your advice to anyone else wishing to join your profession?
If you decide to join Palliative nursing make sure that you are dedicated to making your patients as comfortable as possible.

8. What is your advice to anyone given a life-threatening diagnosis?
Take each day as it comes, baby steps, one day at a time.

9. What is your advice to the loved ones of anyone who is given a life-threatening diagnosis?
Take each day as it comes. Show loved ones empathy, patience and understanding.

10. How do your loved ones feel about the work that you do?
They are proud of the work I do.

11. What do you like the most about the hospice that you work with?
Friendly, welcoming, relaxed atmosphere, everyone always willing to teach and help.

12. Do you have a “motto” that you tend to live by that you would like to share?
Always be kind to another. You never know what they are going through.