1 minute read

All he wanted was a hug

Patients did not die alone

MADRID — SPAIN

lidia gómez Nurse Sanitas Hospital La Zarzuela

«We were very concerned about the last moments, the care and affection that people need. At our centres, patients did not die alone. We would hate the families to feel that people died alone. So we decided to write a little letter along with the personal belongings handed over to the family. A small note, telling them how our team had been there with their loved one at the end».

We just hoped for a miracle

natalia castañeda Nurse Bupa Santiago Hospital

Looking after Covid patients was initially a professional challenge and a learning curve for me. Over time, I also realised that it was also an emotional challenge, because of the fact that patients were alone. Worse than being sick was the anguish of not being able to see their loved ones or have anyone with them. That is such an important factor in patient recovery. At the start of the pandemic, some of my colleagues passed the virus to their families. The teams began to diminish in numbers and we had to take on new people. It was like an earthquake. It was all very draining. I had stopped seeing my grandparents when I started working with Covid patients, because I didn’t want to expose them to the virus. At the beginning I thought about even moving out of my home, as I live with my elderly mother and my young nieces. I was so worried about passing the disease to them and would be so careful when I got back from a shift. I remember in May my grandmother and my mother were a bit sad that they wouldn’t be able to spend Mother’s Day together, but that was the way it was.

This article is from: