Introduction:

1. What is your name?
Mildred Macaties

2. Which hospice do you work for?
Ladies of Hope

3. What do you do there?
Community Health Worker and Senior Care-Giver

4. How long have you been there?
6 years

In-depth:

1. Why did you decide to focus on palliative care?
I did a few courses in care-giving, frail-care and community work and found to have a special interest in it and decided to take on as a career.

2. What gives you the greatest fulfilment?
Doing basic Care-Giving, helping people at end-stage.

3. What do you find the most challenging?
I find breaking the news to family and especially the patient to be a challenge.

4. What do you think people find the most challenging about a life-threatening diagnosis?
Fear for the unknown and difficulty facing the reality of the diagnosis.

5. What do you think that you personally bring to your job that reflects who you are as a person?
My expertise and commitment along with compassion and also passion.

6. How do you take care of your own health and balance?
I take a break when needed if possible, as well as seeking counselling and follow all necessary precautions.

7. What is your advice to anyone else wishing to join your profession?
To be in the palliative care profession you need to be compassionate and committed and always willing to go the extra mile.

8. What is your advice to anyone given a life-threatening diagnosis?
To urgently seek counselling or speak to someone you can confide in to help deal with this reality.

9. What is your advice to the loved ones of anyone who is given a life-threatening diagnosis?
To also seek counselling and to become more familiar with the diagnosis in order to know how to deal with it.

10. How do your loved ones feel about the work that you do?
From their point of view, they find me to be hard hearted to be able to deal with losing patients often.

11. What do you like the most about the hospice that you work with?
Having the privilege to witness the peace in the family of their passing relatives and learning more on different diagnoses.

12. Do you have a “motto” that you tend to live by that you would like to share?
We love what we do “CARE”