“As a night nurse, I care predominantly for people at the end of their life,” says Rebecca Canty. “It is an extremely sad time of life and I provide nursing care for both the person who is dying and their family.
“Nursing care is multidimensional ... so the goal of care is to support the personalised care and wishes of patients and families. The role of a night nurse allows families time to sleep and attend to their self-care, which is fundamental at a time when burnout, grief and loss are at very high levels.”
One of the Irish Cancer Society’s services is that of a night nurse, which involves up to 10 nights free-of-charge end-of-life care for cancer patients.
“Dying at home is not accessible for every patient and family,” says Canty. “The care provided as an end-of-life care nurse in a person’s home is very different from that provided in a hospice or hospital, in that it is community-focused, with the GP being the responsible medical practitioner and the family playing a central role in the person’s care.
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“Another fundamental aspect of the role is bereavement care, ensuring families have support in the weeks and months following the death of their loved one, signposting them to grief education resources, counselling services, and their GP. Making sure recently bereaved people are not isolated or alone in their suffering in the aftermath of a death, is very important.”
Gráinne Lowery Meehan can attest to this, as her uncle Martin benefited from the services of a night nurse during his final days after an arduous struggle with cancer.
“Uncle Martin was born in Cornamona, Co Galway and, in his late teenage years, like a lot of young men in the west of Ireland, he took the boat to England to make a life for himself working on building sites,” she says.
“This work then brought him to Scotland, where he made home with his partner Louise, who unfortunately developed cancer and died in 2002. He remained living there in Bridge of Weir (west of Glasgow) following Louise’s passing and was blessed with wonderful neighbours and friends, but about 10 years later, he decided to come back home and moved to the parish of Clonbur in Co Galway.
“In the last quarter of 2023, he became ill and spent a bit of time in hospital before going to Ballinrobe Nursing Home for some respite. He celebrated his 80th birthday there in January 2024 before returning back home, but a week later, he became ill again and was admitted to Galway hospital and in March 2024, he was diagnosed with secondary cancer. But he took the news well, always looking on the positive side. I remember him saying that he’d had a good life and reached a good age.
“We knew there was going to be no further treatment and the important thing was to keep him comfortable and work on a plan to get him home. But going back to his own home was not an option as he needed 24-hour care, so my mum and dad offered him to come to their house – which was his home house. The whole family was supportive of this and we were only too happy to give back to this amazing man and give him the care he richly deserved.”
But caring for someone at home is not easy and Lowery Meehan, who is married and has two sons, said the family was told that the Irish Cancer Society and Galway Hospice would be on hand to offer support when they needed it.
“That time came on Friday, April 11th when the Daffodil angel, as I called her, walked into a house full of very sad people as we knew time was near and we would have to say our final goodbyes,” she says. “But we were reassured straight away – it was really special and meaningful when she came into the house in her navy jacket with a daffodil on it.
“She said that we were family, so she would take care of his medical needs so we could spend time with him. She spoke to him with such respect and care – whether she was going to move him slightly, or just wetting his lips with some water. It was very special to see the level of care, respect and comfort she gave him.
“Because she was so focused on his care, it took all of our worries away and we got to be his family for the night, and not his carers. Also, she had a genuine interest in him and as we sat by his bedside, she listened to us tell stories about him – this was beyond sweet and thoughtful.”
The Galway woman says that because her uncle was so well cared for, the family were able to focus on their goodbyes, safe in the knowledge that he had a “dignified” death.
“Because she looked after him, cleaned him and changed his pyjamas, he passed away in clean clothes and his hair was immaculate,” she says. “These are things that were so important to him and he would have been so proud. He had a beautiful passing, and part of that was down to the night nurse who cared for him on his final night
“We all said that night it takes a special person to do this job, and we definitely got a Daffodil angel that night. Before she left, she said she would come back later, but unfortunately, he passed away not long afterwards, surrounded by his family.
“We really appreciated her care, and over the years, when we were supporting Daffodil day, we never knew that we would be the ones needing the services.”
This year, the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day takes place on Friday, March 20th. (see cancer.ie for more information or to get involved).
Cancer in Ireland
- Almost 9,800 deaths every year in Ireland are from cancer.
- An estimated 44,000 people in Ireland get cancer each year. This includes both invasive (cancers that can spread beyond the place they started) and non-invasive tumours (cancers that do not spread).
- There are now more than 24,200 invasive cases diagnosed each year.
- Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most common type of cancer in Ireland.
- The most common cancers are skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and bowel cancer.
- More people are surviving cancer than ever before.
- Four out of 10 cancers can be prevented. Risk of cancer can be reduced by not smoking, eating healthily, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing alcohol intake.
