TODAY Show Documentary Highlights the Special Role of a VNSNY Hospice Nurse

For hospice nurses, every home hospice visit carries a special importance. “Our job is not to help people with terminal illnesses die, but to help them live,” explains VNSNY Hospice nurse Diane Blair. “With the assistance of my fellow hospice team members, including our team’s spiritual counselor and our social worker, I strive to make sure my patients have the best possible quality of life.” This includes managing their symptoms to keep them as comfortable as possible, she notes, and making sure they are able to connect with their loved ones.

This unique role of the hospice nurse is captured perfectly in the newest installment of “Walk in My Shoes,” a video series produced by NBC’s TODAY Show for the show’s website, TODAY.com. The five-minute documentary follows Diane over the course of several days as she calls on patients across her home borough of Staten Island.

“To me, this documentary was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share what we do every day,” says Diane, “and I’m honored to be a part of it.” Diane’s patients felt much the same way, she adds. “One of the patients featured in the documentary, who passed away before the video was posted, sent word before she died that she wanted to be identified in the film. She said she wanted everyone to know about the wonderful care we provided to her.”

To view Diane Blair’s “Walk in My Shoes” documentary online, click below.