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Dying and suffering are considered relational experiences within sociology and these experiences are rooted in social relations as well as wider social and cultural structures. This article illustrates how suffering at the end of life is experienced in relation to others and adds the argument that it is shaped through care practices that engage with the sensory. Settings of end-of-life care are filled with many sensory and emotional engagements that is often hared between persons in a multidirectional care entanglement.
Richardson (2024) sought to explore how hospice workers engage with, make sense of and react to patient suffering in their work.
This ethnographic study was conducted over six months and examined the engagements, interactions and experiences of clinical and non-clinical hospice staff in the United Kingdom. The author conducted 150 hours of observations and 18 interviews with clinical and non-clinical hospice staff. Observation notes and reflections were recorded in a diary during the observations and developed further outside of the hospice. Key themes from the notes helped to form a guide for the subsequent interviews. Analysis was a thematic process.
The author identified that both clinical and non-clinical staff engaged with all the senses, such as physical touch, the use of silence, the provision of food, and the visual and embodied environment.
The Unspoken and Physical Touch
- Multisensory care practices sometimes replaced verbal interactions where words were viewed as inappropriate or inadequate.
- Physical touch communicates a connection with another human and is sometimes used when words can’t change a patients’ emotional or physical state.
- Positive experiences with physical touch contrasted with the clinical ‘pokes and prods’ sometimes experienced in other healthcare encounters.
- Silence expressed the inexpressible. Sitting in silence with another acted as comfort.
Hidden Care(rs): Housekeepers and Cooks
- Non-clinical members of staff also formed relationships with patients and families particularly as they engaged with the sensory atmosphere.
- Attention to the physical environment was noted, including lessening the harsh clinical atmosphere of coldness and bright white lights.
- Meal preparation and eating form core aspects of relationships. Staff paid attention to likes, dislikes and preferences. Kitchen staff also recognized the ability to eat certain foods can be disrupted and pleasure from eating can be diminished.
This article emphasizes the importance of understanding care as a sensory and relational practice.
Source: Richardson, N. (2024). ‘Just a Simple Sausage Sandwich’: The Significance of Sensory Care Practices and Hidden Carers in the Hospice. Sociology, 00380385241279694.
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