Compassionate accompaniment until one’s last breath

Despite acute funding issues, Catholic care homes provide round-the-clock care and compassionate accompaniment until one’s last breath.

St Peter’s Residence is a ‘gold standard’ care home for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in Vauxhall, London.

Sister Deirdre, home manager of St Peter’s, doesn’t want the residents to feel under-valued or that they are a burden to anyone:

“The elderly want to be valued. They want to live until they die. They don’t want to die prematurely,” says Sister Deirdre. “We’re lucky here, we get good support from the palliative care specialists… You know, when they come here, they live, at the end of that they die. But, overwhelmingly, they die peacefully. We have doctors to prescribe medication in case somebody’s unwell or if they’re in pain or are distressed or agitated. They prescribe medication in case it’s needed, but most of the time we don’t need it because they die normally. How do you know that? Happily, peacefully, surrounded by friends, family, other residents and staff.”

Sister Deirdre knows all too well what the residents experience near the end of their lives:

“I have Stage 4 cancer myself. I know that it’ll eventually be terminal. At the moment I’m having treatment and I’m okay. I’m very appreciative of what the doctors and the nurses are giving me at the hospital, and I know they’re doing their best.

“At the end of my life, I want to be offered something that says, ‘We’ll help you to live without pain, without distress, until that time comes so you can die peacefully and naturally… I don’t want something to help me die. I want something to help me live or to die peacefully when that time comes.”

Eileen Strevens, a lay volunteer at the residence, has been supporting the elderly for decades:

“I just love the elderly, and I’m getting to be elderly myself now, but I just love their history, the lives they’ve led, the careers they’ve had, and their vulnerability as they get older. Really, they can teach us an awful lot. They teach us patience. When they’re poorly, they bear their illnesses with great courage and strength, and they are a joy to be around.

“One of the things I do, when people make enquiries for their relatives to the home, is to show them around. Time and time again I get the comments ‘Oh, this is not what we were expecting. It’s such a peaceful place. You can actually feel the atmosphere. Everybody seems so happy.’ I’m very used to it, obviously, but when somebody who’s never been here before picks up on that, it’s lovely.”

Eileen believes that places like St Peter’s, that offer a model of care rooted in the Catholic faith, provide an essential alternative to assisted dying:

“I think for a lot of the people who wish to have assisted dying, it’s fear – fear of the unknown. If only they knew that there are places like this where people are loved right to the very end and where they receive excellent care and pain relief. Our residents are never left. So if they don’t have any family, there’s always one of us around. Usually the sisters stay with them all night as well.

“Everything, I think, stems from the Sisters’ charism. If we didn’t have the Sisters, this home wouldn’t be the same place. It really wouldn’t. They set the standard, they set the bar, and it’s very high.”

Father Gabriel, a resident at St Peter’s who moved to London from Bristol, agrees that the standard of care at the residence is exemplary:

“The general care is really second to none. The staff are trained and there’s a sister in charge of each unit and that’s where the training comes in. You know, I don’t think you get better care anywhere.”

The final word goes to 97-year-old Maeve:

“[Life at St Peter’s] is very, very easy. I have plenty of time for prayer. Why not? The time is there… It’s a nice way to spend the end of your life. I couldn’t think of a nicer place to spend it.”

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