Chatting with retired district nurse Marita Lukies

Our founder Bev chats to Marita Lukies who is a retired community health care nurse. 

Marita has worked in both aged and hospice care where she provided not only physical but emotional care.

“I’ve worked within hospice where my job was to visit people in their homes facing a terminal illness or the end of their life, “she says

“These people needed not only care but emotional support. They needed someone to talk and listen to,  and just someone to be a friend, I found that work very rewarding.”

Marita has had some wonderful experiences with people who are facing the end of their life. She said some of the main fears is the uncertainty of death and how this might happen.

“I think sometimes it’s the uncertainty of what will happen. Its how if there going to be in a lot of pain. Its also wondering what will happen after death for some people who have faith, they believe in life after death and that seems to help them a bit,” she says

“Just being alone for some people is a bit difficult too. Just sitting with them holding their hand is comforting and being able to listen to them if they have worries,

“Sometimes people need to talk about things to get them off their chest and they need to share it with someone. And that seems to bring some sense of mind. I find it a great privilege to be with people during this time of life.”

Marita recalls one of her favourite people that she enjoyed looking after.

“I could tell you about Joy, Joy was one person that really stayed in my memory. I got to know Joy very well as I visited her at least once a week as she was becoming frailer. And more ill with cancer but she was a very dignified person and we shared lots of life stories together,” she says

“I found I formed a really close rich relationship with Joy. We used to sing together, Joy wanted to choose special music for her funeral, we chose Going Home, as her special song. It was lovely to be able to do that for her.”