Synopsis:

── The moment you open your mouth, tears can no longer be held back! ──

A deeply touching complete record of the 30th anniversary of the MacKay Hospice Ward

"Passing through life like this, do you have any regrets?"

"I feel that my life has been worthwhile..." he said.

The tears welling in his eyes were carried by a sense of no regrets.

➤ How much do we really understand about hospice care?

Patients sigh ── "How many tomorrows do I have left to keep living?" "I'm not afraid of death; I'm just afraid that dying will be too painful!"

Family members ask ── "The physical and mental exhaustion has pushed me to the verge of a breakdown!" "Why do I feel relieved instead now that he has passed away?"

The MacKay Hospice Team ── including medical, nursing, social work, and spiritual care professionals ── gathers fully to accompany them with love.

This book guides you to realign your understanding of hospice care.

Although medical treatment has its limitations, the thoughts and actions of care are limitless, truly putting dignified death and peaceful farewells into practice.

➤ Daily Accompaniment, Sixfold Protection Across Medical, Nursing, Social, and Spiritual Demanes

Peacefully navigating through life, speaking and recalling days gone by.

A quiet and wise heart, watching over one another with love and mercy.

Bright month after month, shining moment after moment.

Constantly accompanying through deep valleys, letting light illuminate and love leave its fragrance.

A heartwarming chronicle of the 30th anniversary of the MacKay Hospice Ward ── every patient and family member represents a unique journey of a dignified death and peaceful farewell!

Even on the final journey of life, radiant moments of rich emotion can be co-created.

This is exactly what our daily routine looks like, and this routine is "love."

▎The Nurse ── I may not fully understand you, but I will care for you!

"Under what circumstances should an extubation evaluation be conducted for a terminal patient?" Extubation is not abandonment, nor is it an all-or-nothing concept or approach. Facing heart-wrenching struggles, every outcome compels us to contemplate how we can handle this issue more perfectly when we encounter it again.

－》》》Hospice Accompaniment Case Study》》》Refusing the "Ventilator," Returning to Natural Breathing

"Dad, you can't do that. I know you are in immense pain, but please don't pull off the mask!" the daughter said with tears streaming down her face.

The patient required oxygen, meaning he was restrained 24 hours a day. The family could not bear to watch it, and as a medical professional, it broke my heart just as much. The next day, the family made a difficult decision.

"We don't want him to suffer like this anymore; we've decided to withdraw this machine..." the eldest son said to me, his voice choking but firm.

"I understand how incredibly difficult this decision is, but it is absolutely filled with goodwill. You are by no means the first family members in the hospice ward to decide to withdraw a ventilator. Right now, it's just letting him return to a natural state," I told them, patting them on the shoulder...

▎The Physician ── Accompanying with Love, Walking the Final Mile Together

"I'm not afraid of death; I'm just afraid that dying will be too painful." Hospice care is not a philosophy of subtraction, but one of addition. Beyond controlling symptoms, listening and accompanying are actually the best "wholehearted" treatments a doctor can give a patient!

－》》》Hospice Accompaniment Case Study》》》Deep Mother-Son Bond, Implementing Home Hospice Care

"There's still a chance; do you want to give it a shot?" Sang-Yi's son brought her into the consultation room, and as we re-evaluated treatment for her intervertebral discs, I asked them.

"No, after a family discussion, we've decided to halt all treatments and pivot toward the path of hospice and palliative care," the son said slowly, determination gleaming in his eyes. Once her symptoms were gradually brought under control, the medical team allowed Sang-Yi to return to her old family home in Dulan, choosing home-based hospice care.

"Returning to the mountain tribe, it feels like all my physical strength has returned. Sometimes I sit at the doorway and sing, sometimes I sew small knick-knacks in the living room. Every day feels like a celebration, and life is lived with such immense fulfillment!"

▎The Social Worker, Psychologist, and Spiritual Caregiver ── Living Well, Saying Goodbye Well

"The physical and mental exhaustion has pushed me to the verge of a breakdown!"

"You've already done wonderfully. Let me think of ways to help alleviate the caregiving pressure for you." Hospice care is not only patient-centered but also attends to the emotional state of family members, providing timely social and psychological support.

－》》》Hospice Accompaniment Case Study》》》A Final Concert

The grandmother and grandfather shared a deep, enduring love. During every visit, the figure of the eighty-something grandfather with flecks of white hair could always be seen leaning close to the bedside, soothing his partner with his warm hands. The grandfather was not just there during the day, but remained by the grandmother's side 24 hours a day.

The spiritual caregiver wanted to fulfill a dream for the grandmother by hosting a concert. Not only did it mark the grandmother's 25th anniversary of joining the choir, but unexpectedly, this year was also her and the grandfather's 60th diamond wedding anniversary, making it profoundly meaningful.

However, as the grandmother's condition deteriorated daily, the plan became a race against time. The team constantly prayed to God, hoping to preserve the most precious time for this family, allowing them to accompany the grandmother on her final mile without any regrets...

Warm Protection of Sixfold Accompaniment ── Whole Person, Whole Family, Whole Process, Whole Team, Whole Community, Whole Heart

Providing patients and family members with the most appropriate symptom control and care requirements across physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions.

Book Features:

Let us witness together the brilliant light of life ──

22 professionals engaged in hospice care take you directly to the frontlines of the care scene.

Through sixfold accompaniment, they warmly stay by the side of every patient and family member, truly recording every dignified death and peaceful farewell.

Every journey of life plays its own unique melody. The flow of sincere human emotion traverses loneliness, sorrow, and panicked anxiety, lending strength and courage to one another.

We hear, we see, we truly exist, and we experience life.

About the Authors

Project Coordination

MacKay Memorial Hospital, MacKay Medical Foundation of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan / Chief Coordinator

MacKay Memorial Hospital belongs to the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and commemorates Dr. George Leslie Mackay by following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Guided by the mission to "love one's neighbor as oneself, care for the vulnerable, provide holistic physical, psychological, social, and spiritual healing, and achieve medical evangelism," the hospital carries out various medical services, medical education, and evangelical work. It has introduced numerous new areas of medical expertise, services, and facilities to Taiwan. "Hospice" signifies a station for the soul. MacKay Hospice upholds this original intent, loving neighbors as themselves, and walking the final mile of life alongside patients and their families.

On September 10, 1988, the Hospice Ward Preparatory Task Force was officially established. In February 1990, the Tamsui Branch established Taiwan's first hospice ward, which officially opened on March 13 with 18 beds, utilizing the concept of "Fivefold Care" to provide comprehensive end-of-life care.

In 1992, MacKay hospice care expanded from wards to home services. On August 1, 1996, the "Hospice Palliative Care Education and Demonstration Center" was established as a primary clinical medical unit, with preparations underway to construct a standalone hospice care building. In 1998, the building for the center was completed. By 2000, the total number of hospice beds reached 63, which matched the bed count of St. Christopher's Hospice at the time, making it one of the largest hospice care units in the world. In 2005, the Hospice Shared Care Team was established. In September 2009, taking the lead in responding to policies from the Department of Health and the Bureau of National Health Insurance, eight new categories of terminal illnesses were added to allow patients to stay in hospice wards and receive home hospice care services. This marked a major step forward since the center incorporated motor neuron diseases into hospice care in 2003. In July 2014, psychological and spiritual care were further developed, expanding from "Fivefold Care" to "Sixfold Care: Whole Person, Whole Family, Whole Process, Whole Team, Whole Community, Whole Heart," aiming to elevate and deepen the level of hospice palliative care.

Chief Reviewer

Dr. Jiun-Kai Fang / Chief Reviewer

• Education:

• Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang-Ming University

• Master's Degree, Graduate Institute of Death Education and Counseling, National Taipei College of Nursing

• Bachelor's Degree, School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical College

• Current Positions:

• Director, Hospice Palliative Care Education and Demonstration Center, MacKay Memorial Hospital

• Director, Department of Psychiatry / Suicide Prevention Center, MacKay Memorial Hospital

• Chairman, Asia-Pacific Psycho-Oncology Exchange Foundation

• Experience:

• President, Taiwan Psycho-Oncology Society

• Board Member, Taiwanese Society of Psychiatry

• President, Taiwan Association for Grief Care and Counseling

• President, Taiwan Hospice Organization

• Executive Board Member, Taiwan Association for Cancer Information and Holistic Care

• Executive Board Member, Taiwan Society of Hospice Palliative Medicine

• Executive Board Member, Taiwanese Association Against Depression

• Executive Board Member, Taiwanese Society for Suicide Prevention

• Board Member, Taiwan Hospice Care Foundation

• Board Member, Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Network

• Board Member, Taipei Love and Mercy Foundation

• Ministry-Certified Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College

• Ministry-Certified Assistant Professor, Department of Department of Death and Health Counseling, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences

• Related Reviewed Works:

• I Am a Suicide Survivor

• Mom, I Miss You So Much: A Care Notebook for Patients and Families (Bilingual Edition)

• Listening to Emotions: Psychological Care for Elderly Cancer Patients and Their Families

• Scars of Life and Death: You and I Haven't Said Goodbye Yet