For those who work in hospice care, accompanying an individual during the final chapter of their life is an immense honor.
Alisa Losing, a certified nursing assistant and medical aide at Sanford Health, is one of those people who chose to take up the role of caring for hospice patients – or, as she would say, the role chose her.
Upbringing reveals her passion
Losing grew up in northern Arizona on the Navajo Reservation, and she spent many of her formative years taking care of her family members.
“My mother was born with a dislocated hip, and it just got worse,” said Losing. “Later, when my family needed my help with my grandparents, I came home and took care of them, and I realized then that’s what I wanted to do – assist the elderly and take care of them all the way to the end.”
She set her heart on working in hospice care and decided to go back to school, eventually becoming a CNA when she moved to South Dakota.
Peace, comfort, companionship for her patients
As a member of the Sanford Hospice care team, Losing works with social workers, nurses and others to care for the patient, provide them with the comforts they want, and support their family along the way.
“As a CNA, I’m the first person to recognize differences in the patient’s well-being,” said Losing. “We work as a team to see what the patient needs and do everything we can to help them. I treat them like they’re my own grandparents.”
With every patient and family she meets, Losing works to build trust with them so she can help them, even if that just means being a companion or a source of strength.
“For a lot of people, they just want to be treated with dignity, which they should be,” said Losing. “I’m there to help them and to provide them with comfort. I listen to what their beliefs are, I help them exercise, and I sit and pray with them. I’m just so grateful I’m able to be there with them.”
Losing particularly likes working with veterans and enjoys getting to know their personalities.
“They’re jokesters and they’re very stoic,” said Losing. “You have to be strong with them, but after you get through that stage, they open up and give you little bits and pieces of what they went through, and you get the privilege of being there for them.”
And whether they’re a veteran or not, Losing’s favorite part of her job is listening to patients’ stories about their past – their “glory days.”
“I’ve learned that most people just want somebody to listen to them and their stories. They just want to be remembered,” said Losing. “And I remember all of them.”
Careers with purpose
Careers at Sanford Health have excellent pay, comprehensive benefits, and above all, empower you to serve others. If you’re looking for a rewarding career with plenty of room to grow, start exploring our open positions today.
Learn more
- Hospice providers make patients feel like family
- Hospice teams work together for the good of patients
- Debunking myths about hospice care
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Posted In Hospice, Nursing and Nursing Support, People & Culture, Senior Services
