Volunteers come forward for a wholesome cause that ensures 'no one dies alone'

As we age, we realize the unpredictability of life and the inevitability of death. In one's final moments, the yearning to be with loved ones becomes paramount. Unfortunately, not everyone has the blessing of having loved ones by their side at the end. Hospice nurses and critical care workers understand this emotion deeply. A heartwarming initiative called "No One Dies Alone" (NODA) brings together volunteers to offer emotional support to those who are lonely on their deathbed, reports Positive.News. This initiative, now global, began in 1986 with a touching backstory.

Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse from Eugene, Oregon's Sacred Heart Medical Center, was the brain behind this wonderful initiative. Her idea for this spawned when she witnessed an unforgettable patient who, on his deathbed, asked her to be with him. Clarke, who was working a night shift, agreed to attend to him once she checked on her other patients. By the time she returned after her rounds, the patient had passed away. "I felt awful. It was okay for him to die. It was his time - but not alone. I looked around and scores of people were nearby providing state-of-the-art patient care. For this man, state-of-the-art should have been dignity and respect," Clarke penned down in an emotional article published by How We Die.

Clarke, who is now retired, said in an interview with the Mayo Clinic that the man's arm was outstretched when he died. Upset that she couldn't fulfill his dying wish, Clarke decided to do something about it. Initially, she asked kitchen workers and other hospital staff to stay with dying individuals who had no one by their side. Though many lauded her idea, not everyone had the time to contribute to this cause and the nurse tried to give her best efforts time and again. Eventually, in 2001, the NODA program took shape and the specialized end-of-life care was ardently practiced in the Sacred Heart Medical Centre. Clarke explained that one shouldn't take "No One Dies Alone" literally. It's not for those who wish to be left alone on their deathbed. It's for those who long for company.

With NODA kicking off in Eugene, Clarke developed an extensive manual for the program that many other hospitals and hospice centers adopted across the US and around the world. One of the earliest adaptations of this movement in the UK was established by Scottish nurse, Alison Bunce, who worked as the director of care at the Ardgowan Hospice. She was inspired by the NODA program and even met some nurses in Ohio to understand how it works. But Bunce wanted to add more to the program. "Being present and accompanying someone as they're dying is such a privilege – it's a profound, unique moment. But over the years, people were speaking to me about social isolation and loneliness, and I realized this was about life as well as death," she told Positive.News.

So Bunce's project, Compassionate Inverclyde (CI), sponsored by Ardgowan Hospice, gathered volunteers who can be there not only for those who die alone but also for those who live alone. From new moms who need a hand to socially isolated residents, the volunteers offer emotional support to whoever is in need. People who leave the hospital alone after treatments or surgeries and those grieving the loss of their loved ones are also benefitted. "We need to have courage in our communities. If you think about the people who live in your street, we all have skills and experience. No matter who we are, we have something to offer," Bunce added. The CI project contributes significantly to fighting loneliness as a community and the Inverclyde Community Fund shared its efforts on YouTube.