Over the past semester I have had the opportunity to be a Season’s Hospice volunteer. My experience has been eye opening, as well as life changing. Going into this program I knew it was going to be different than anything else I have every experienced, but I was not expecting that so many emotions would arise.
In the beginning stages of visiting my patient I found it quite difficult to accept what I was seeing. My patient was always so friendly and sweet, but for some reason I couldn’t shake the reality of the situation: hospice is the place where people go who are terminal and can no longer care for themselves. There were times where it was so overwhelming that when I left I would think about hospice and death for the remainder of the day. There were times where I did not think I was cut out to be exposed to these real and raw situations. I continued to go back as I knew even though it was hard, I was making a difference.
As the visits continued, it got easier in the sense that I felt more prepared and accepting. All of the prior readings and lessons before starting this program have definitely been of great benefit. However, I strongly believe that until it is experienced, it is extremely difficult to explain to another person how to cope. Hospice, while it is truly an incredible thing, can have a toll on one’s emotions. As the program progressed I started to understand and view things about the end-of-life in a new form. My prior thoughts about end-of-life, and the experiences that encircled it, were nothing but somber, and this was illustrated by the thoughts I had in the beginning of the program. As I started to think more about what I was doing as a Season’s Hospice volunteer, I started to realize just how important end-of-life experiences are, and my opinions started to transform.
Although hospice can be thought of as the last step in an individual’s life, it is not designed to heighten sad and somber feelings. The goal of hospice is quite the opposite; its true mission is to ensure the comfortability of every patient as they prepare for the final stages of life. It is remarkable, and full of nothing but dignity and respect for every patient that enters this stage. We were taught that before the program began, and I did know that hospice is not meant to be sad, I think it just took me some time to put everything into perspective. I am truly honored to have been a part of this program, and I can honestly say without reservations that becoming a Season’s Hospice volunteer has forever changed me especially the way I view death. It is through the hospice program that I have learned some of life’s most valuable lessons. This is most definitely not the last time I will be working through a hospice program.