A Guest House Hospice

Volunteers and staff in the guest house kitchen.

Let's get introduced to one of the programs at ZEN HOSPICE PROJECT. Many of us know about services that are provided in hospice care and that hospice care can be provided in a person's home or in a hospice's care facility. It is one end-of-life option. Zen Hospice Project runs a six occupant guest house, where 24/7 care is provided for those who have advanced illnesses and whose life expectancy is six months or less. In addition, those served are no longer seeking a cure to their illness, but are more interested in comfort and quality of life.

Let's find out a little about what is provided at the guest house, through the experience of Jolene Scarella, Director of Nursing. Unlike the nursing staff within hospitals and other care facilities, the staff at Zen Hospice Project utilize mindfulness in their work. It means the addition of controlled breathing, grounding, and awareness to strengthen the act of caregiving and is a way of caring for the caregivers.



The focus of care is creating a space for living, while also providing support and nurturing for guests, along with family members and friends. It's a different model of care from other hospices. While providing 24/7 care, to reduce physical symptoms, emotional support is offered to guests and family.

Ms. Scarella cited the care of David as an example of how this works. The day he arrived, he rang the bell, just like at anyone's house. When the door opened, he said, "Hi, I'm supposed to be here today, and this is my first day at hospice." It was just another day in his life.

David embraced the philosophy of just being. He would wander in the garden while writing poetry, sip cappuccino, and experience what was around him. When he spotted someone, he would smile and say, "Hi, I see you." He was really living his life at the guest house.

As time went on, David could no longer walk in the garden. Ms. Scarella would sit with him, in his last few days of life. There was no talking. They would just look at each other at length, something that was longer than usually comfortable. But it was a recognition of being between two human beings, something that Jolene recalls as very powerful.

Lilies in the guest house entryway.

Those who work at Zen Hospice Project guest house would describe what others would think of as helping, as serving. The word difference makes the exchange between human beings two-way, rather than one-way. It's a powerful exchange, providing something for the caregiver, as well as for the guest. The guest ends up not feeling like a burden, but a purposeful human being, right up to that transition point from the land of living to death.

The inviting guest house garden.

Thanks for information from the second article in the Zen Hospice Project Spring 2016 newsletter: http://www.zenhospice.org/events-news/spring-2016-newsletter/; and the above link.

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