It would be the last night of this man's life. The patient here at the Marcus Daly Hospice Center was not long for this world, and the nurse on duty that evening, Christine Bramsen, recognized the signs: sporadic breathing, decreasing oxygen levels, his extremities growing cool. The man's only family, a son, was himself awaiting surgery and unable to be with his father. So Bramsen contacted Hospice Chaplain Doug Peterson to initiate a No One Dies Alone Vigil. By 9 p.m. the first volunteer arrived to sit with the patient, to hold his hand, find the country music station on the radio, and reassure him that he was not alone. The next volunteer came to relieve her at midnight, the next at 3 a.m. Every two hours after that, through the morning and into the afternoon, volunteers were there at his side. At 1 p.m., the last volunteer arrived, and the two volunteers sat at his bedside as he breathed his last.
Some volunteers prayed quietly during their vigil time. Others read poetry and sacred scripture. Some held his hand. "I feel so privileged to have participated in [his] final hours," reported vigil volunteer Barbara Orlando. "I have no doubt that God's presence was in the room and with him as he struggled with every breath. I also felt the supporting Spirit as I attempted to share with him that truly he was not alone in this his final journey." Another volunteer, Sue Burrows, was one of those present when he died. "The experience was healing for me, as [he] was the first person to be with at end of life since my husband passed in 2009."
Bramsen was impressed with how prompt and well prepared the volunteers were. She called the volunteer presence a "vital, loving, spiritual and emotional support" for the patient, the family, and the staff. Family members were grateful. "It takes a special kind of person to do that," remarked the daughter-in-law.
No One Dies Alone (NODA) is based on a simple but profound vision: No one in the Bitterroot Valley has to die alone. Through the efforts of volunteers, NODA vigils provide a reassuring presence to dying patients who would otherwise be alone.
The program was developed at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Ore. 10 years ago, and has since spread nationally to hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice programs, including Marcus Daly Hospice. NODA is for patients who are on comfort care and do-not-resuscitate status; are expected to die within 48 hours; and family is either out of town, unavailable, or unable to keep vigil without help from volunteers. Vigil volunteers do not replace nursing staff or primary caregivers, but instead focus on "being fully present" with the patient in lieu of family.
Jane Hron, Director of Marcus Daly Hospice and Home Health, sees NODA as a natural extension of the hospice mission into the community. "Hospice care is about bringing dignity, comfort, and caring to patients and families at the end of life. A NODA vigil offers that to members of our community, whether or not they are hospice patients."
Sapphire Lutheran Homes Director Cole Harden was another early advocate for launching NODA in the Bitterroot Valley. "We had a program like this at St. John's [Lutheran Ministries] in Billings. We know we have residents here at Sapphire who don't have any family nearby. Sapphire is their family now, and we want to make sure they don't have to spend their last hours alone."
With 20 trained volunteers, No One Dies Alone has served two patients at end of life in the past two weeks. Like Burrows, many of the volunteers were present at the death of a loved one, and they want to help others who are on the final journey of life. "The volunteers we have now are wonderful and so willing to participate," observes Erica Tresemer, a vigil coordinator. "But we definitely need more volunteers to address the need out there in the community."
For more information about the No One Dies Alone Program, including how you can become a NODA volunteer, contact Doug Peterson, Chaplain, Marcus Daly Hospice, at 363-6503.
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