Terminal care - Go gentle into that good night (2)

（People's Daily Online）  16:29, April 03, 2013  

It is a special ward, quieter and warmer than the general one.
It is a special harbor, where people go gentle into that good night.
It is a special group of angels that guard patients in their last days.

Today’s lenses focus on terminal care of a community health center in Shanghai.

Yan Qin, a full-time doctor in terminal care division said that doctors and nurses here will not be desperate to rescue patients; in fact, they try every means to minimize the suffering of patients in their last days.Dr. Yan starts her work at 7:30 a.m. After a morning shift meeting, Dr. Yan begins her first ward-round of the day. Most patients hospitalized are elderly and some of them are in critical condition. She checks their conditions at least twice a day and carefully keeps the record.

Every day she receives many consultations on terminal care from patient’s family members. Her replies, more like comforting pills, relieve their anxiety. Dr. Yan said that when asked where they would like to spend their last days, Chinese almost always say they would like to say at home, surrounded by people they love. Therefore, Dr. Yan and her colleagues manage to give the patients not only medical care but also homey feel.

Death is a difficult subject for anyone, but staff in terminal care division wants to talk about it less than most.