A nurse who cared for her late grandmother in her final days says the experience gave her a passion for end of life care.
Zoe Evans, 31, from Welshpool, joined leading end of life charity Marie Curie as the Clinical Nurse Manager for North Wales and Powys in January, and says she hopes to be able to guide her team to provide a good death to those they support.
“My passion for end-of-life care stems from a personal experience of loss, which has profoundly shaped my understanding of the importance of honouring patient wishes and ensuring their comfort and dignity is at the forefront of all we do,” said Zoe, whose late Gran died in October 2020, following the spread of breast cancer.
“My Gran had what I would consider to be a good death, she wasn’t in pain, she wasn’t agitated, and she had her family surrounding her. I am so grateful we were there when she took her last breath.
“I found this important because you hear stories of people who’d wanted to be there but weren’t – they’ve gone out of the room, or they’ve popped out for an hour and their loved one passed. However negative death can be, I can look back at this experience as a positive one.”
Marie Curie provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for loved ones, in the charity’s hospices and in people’s homes.. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, and campaigns to ensure everyone has a good end of life experience.
Zoe manages a team of almost 30 Marie Curie Nurses and healthcare assistants, who provide overnight nursing care across the area.
Speaking ahead of International Nurses Day on Monday 12 May, Zoe says her experiences as a former community nurse and deputy ward sister are a benefit to her role.
“In my previous roles, I’ve witnessed various stages of end-of-life care, including some difficult deaths where people were very uncomfortable or agitated,” said Zoe, who is a mum-of-two.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right medication or therapies to ensure a patient’s comfort at the end of life. However, it’s important to reassure people about what is normal. When it comes to end-of-life care, there isn’t a single pattern or set of rules; every situation and circumstance is different. It’s crucial to have the awareness to de-escalate people’s concerns and offer advice, guidance, and reassurance and I am grateful for the opportunity to offer support for patients and their families, as well as our team.
“We work collaboratively with many different services in our area, which is important to ensure patients receive holistic, patient-centred end of life care, focusing on what is right for them as individuals.”
Paying tribute to her late Gran again, Zoe said: “I have been very lucky to have loved her so long. There are people that I know who have never met their grandparents, or their grandparents have passed away when they were young. I will always cherish that I had so many years to spend with her, and our relationship had really blossomed later in my life.
“When I was younger my Gran was very strict, when you’re little you don’t understand why. As I got older, I started to realise and value that she had those qualities in her as she really wanted us to have a good start in life.
“She helped me grow in my teenage years and into motherhood. She was my rock, my go to person if I was having a bad day. I will always miss hearing her shout ‘hiya’ when we walked through the back door. The kettle was always on.”
