Beverly Hills , Dec. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mary Kay Sheehan believes in transparency, honesty, and compassion; these traits are what led her to become an oncology nurse and, now, a hospice leader.
Listen to the complete interview of Mary Kay Sheehan with Adam Torres on Mission Matters Innovation Podcast.
Why is talking about death so taboo in the US?
Sheehan notes that superstition and dissonance can play a role in our cultural hesitation to talk openly about death. “I believe that people think if we talk about it, it will happen,” she says. “If people talk about planning for you, even when we’re healthy, they’re afraid to do that because we think it will bring it on somehow. The second thing is, people want to keep (an) emotional distance between life and death. That’s why we use words like ‘passing away,’ ‘rainbow bridge,’ ‘transitioning,’ and ‘we “lost” somebody’ instead of saying somebody died.”
This form of distancing, she notes, may seem less painful for some, but a more direct approach to the topic can actually be preferable for others.
Lightways Hospice Care & Serious Illness Care
Lightways, previously known as Joliet Area Community Hospice, is a nonprofit hospice and palliative care program.
“We are currently taking care of about 800 patients and families daily throughout the area,” Sheehan says. “Most of our patients are either in nursing homes or at their homes, but we also have an inpatient hospice unit. We take care of patients of all diagnoses and ages, and we have a pediatric program for children with serious illnesses. Our team of professionals takes care of these patients and follows their wishes.”
Especially during the COVID era, how do you help people deal with grief?
“I think that grief has a greater impact than we can imagine,” Sheehan notes. “If a family member dies, his whole family suffers mentally and financially. Most hospices offer community bereavement, which is open to anybody in the community who’s had a loss. We provide…
Read Full Story: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/12/15/2353150/0/en/Mary-Kay-Sheehan-Talks-About-End-of-Life-Care-and-Cultural-Perceptions-of-Death.html
