Palliative Care: A Place for Caregivers to Thrive

Abstract

The author proposes that rather than being an inherently stressful environment the palliative care setting has the potential to provide caregivers practice in being connected. When the setting is viewed in a non-judgmental way, then events can be seen as stimuli for reactions, and self-care moves from external solutions to internal shifts. By examining the widely held belief that the palliative care environment is necessarily challenging, the author presents the possibility of an alternate explanation for why caregivers might experience stress, proposing three resources that illustrate mindfulness practice, reflexivity, and self-awareness. These strategies might help caregivers cultivate a sense of empowerment and growth, while at the same time assisting them to better care for their clients. She concludes that when self-care is a way of being rather than doing, the environment becomes one where growth is possible and palliative care-giving and receiving become one.