There's a new nurse manager at the Prince George Hospice House.
Erin Wallis took on the position recently after working as a registered nurse at hospice for the last 12 and a half years.
Wallis coordinates and is responsible for the care given to the guests that come through the doors of Hospice House, which currently houses 10 beds.
In each room there is an electric bed with a lift mounted on the ceiling, a double bed futon and a recliner for guests, a wall-mounted flat-screen television, independent heating and cooling and a large picture window.
The house has a communal kitchen that has an open dining concept with a fireplace and television in it. There is a children's playroom, a meeting room, a quiet room, den, and a bedroom for overnight visitors. The Hospice House is designed so that family members can be with their loved ones at all times, whether during care or at night.
Being a nurse is always a challenge, but being a nurse in a facility that deals with the end of life takes a special type of person.
"I was called to it," said Wallis. "Some people are - I knew before I ever applied here that this was the work I was meant to do. It was almost like someone was tapping my shoulder for years and saying to me 'go to hospice, go to hospice' and I ignored it because I kept thinking I didn't want to work at a place that there was dying."
Finally Wallis followed that voice to hospice and when she walked in, a nurse was just taking muffins out of the oven and the lovely scent of home baked goods was very welcoming. Wallis looked around and knew she'd found where she belonged.
"Even before I ever came here, I was meant to be here," said Wallis.
For Wallis, it's not a tough job at all.
"You have to turn it around and say instead of it being a job where you come and watch people die, if you come to work saying I'm here to help people live their very best lives - even if they only have a few hours - if I can make that better, that's what it's all about."
She has found the positive in the job and that's why she chooses to work at hospice.
"The environment at hospice is not like any other institution," said Donalda Carson, outgoing executive director for the Prince George Hospice Society.
Being allowed and encouraged to sit at the bedside of someone who is dying for an hour is an example of that, said Wallis.
"It's all those little things that make the difference," said Wallis.
The Hospice House is located at 3809 Clapperton St.
