An Unusual Position To Be In.

As I work for myself I obviously have a set number of clients who I visit on a daily, twice weekly or weekly basis. Over time I get to know the people I'm there to help as well as members of their family.  I know their daily routine, the people who come to visit, their past history and their future plans - often I see them more than their sons or daughters but that doesn't mean I am a 'replacement child' or should offer the opinions of one. This puts me in a sort of 'no man's land' - I'm neither stranger nor family. I am a friendly face that people are used to seeing and are familiar with yet not the sort of friend they'd spend a day with or go for dinner with. This, for me, is a trusted and honoured position to be in - I know intimate and personal details about many, am someone they feel they can trust and talk to and because of that I will bend over backwards to help them in any way I can.

Working so closely with people, at what is often a difficult time of their life, is a privilege, and it is something I feel very lucky to do. You see, medical professionals are always there to look at illnesses and poor health - seeing 'the patient' and working out how they can cure or alleviate problems. I, on the other hand, am there to help people be themselves and live with their difficulties as easily as possible - I don't judge or try to pretend it isn't tough and I hope that whilst I am there they get to be treated as the person they really are - as opposed to the patient or the dependant they often feel they are.

I always tell everyone that I won't ever lie to them (I may choose not to tell them something!) but if they ask me a question I will tell them the truth. So often people are worried about talking about a friend or family member dying - but put yourself in their shoes, they ARE dying and they'd really like to talk about it - don't we all like to discuss things we are trying to cope with? Enabling someone to talk about death or illness as well as the guilt they often feel about the extra strain they are putting on their family, allows them to off load the worries and thoughts that may otherwise drag them down into depression or anxiety. It's important that they know they can talk to someone who knows them but isn't directly related to them - and that, that someone won't disclose those thoughts with anyone else. Now THAT really is a position of trust and it's a position I feel honoured to be in.