Newport nurse speaks ahead of relay for life tipperary

Relay for Life Tipperary raises vital funds for the work that Irish Cancer Society does, as well as raising awareness of the many services that the Irish Cancer Society offers within our community.  One such service is the night nursing service.
Emer McLoughlin from Newport works as a part-time night nurse with the Irish Cancer Society, as well as working part-time in St John's Hospital in Limerick.  Emer was always interested in palliative care, oncology and care of the dying; she always felt she had a niche for that.
The Irish Cancer Society provides the funding for a night nurse to come into the patient's home. There are two shifts - the twilight shift, which is 5pm – 11pm, or a night shift, which is 11pm - 7am.  The night nurse comes to the house and looks after the patient there.
The Irish Cancer Society employs nurses nationwide. In the area Emer covers, which is Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, the Irish Cancer Society works closely with Milford Hospice to provide a night nurse for patients.  
Emer says the role of night nurse is to assist/provide support to families to care for their loved ones at home.  It is a wonderful but daunting thing for families to look after someone dying at home.  Families are often terrified and this may be their first experience of death/dying and they may feel overwhelmed and unsure whether they will be able to cope.  A night nurse's role is to assure a family that they will be there to help them and that they are not alone. 
Night nurses go into people's homes as a visitor, not to take over the patient's care but to blend into the family routine and assist where needed.  Most important of all is to build up a rapport with the patient and family so they feel comfortable with the night nurse in their home.
Emer says that as you enter a person's home for the first time, it can be daunting at 11pm at night for both the night nurse and the family, so it is important to put people at their ease immediately.  As the saying goes: “First impressions last”, and this is certainly true. Then you have no sooner put one foot in the door when a cup of tea is offered, which Emer says is Irish hospitality at its best. 
When asked if she found it difficult when she first worked as a night nurse, Emer says she finds it very difficult. To this day, she is saddened by every case, and the really difficult cases are children, young adults, mothers and fathers.  
All deaths are hard and a night nurse feels a certain empathy/loss for every family. To deal with this, Emer says she cries if she wants to, and isn't afraid for families to see that she is upset too, particularly if she has spent a number of nights looking after one patient. The journey home can be of great benefit to reflect on the night, i.e. cry in private, listen to music or sing, which she does herself. 
Traits necessary to be a night nurse are kindness, caring, good social skills, chatty, but a good listener is as important. Often it is vital to sit and just listen.  You may not have the answer but still encourage the patient to express their fears/worries. It's very important to pull from personal life experience.
Emer lost her own Mam this month eight years ago, and she says this has given her immense insight into the sadness/loneliness and vulnerability people experience at this time. 
Sitting with/caring for someone at night time is very different to daytime. People open up, and a night nurse can often sit with a patient or family and actually cry with them as they openly and frankly talk about their fears/worries about death/dying and leaving their loved ones. Emer says you can also share happy times or even a laugh as people reminisce about life. 
If you would like to hear more about the services offered by the Irish Cancer Society or Relay for Life Tipperary please email relayforlifetipperayr@gmail.com or call 087-4463631. Relay for Life Tipperary will have a pop up shop on Pearse Street, Nenagh coming up to the event, please see window for opening hours.