In our orientation meeting we chose some words we identified death with. I chose the word “friend”. I felt that death can be a wave of relief, an exit from pain, and can be a friend to those nearing it. In my hospice volunteer experience, I learned a few more things. Death comes often and … Continue reading “Death as a Friend”
Program Year Ending: 2017
Program Year Ending 2017
inspired by the end
What does dying look like or dying well or living well are they two separate things? i would guess that it is one process that we are choosing how we will die now we seem to pick paths without evidence without RHYME without REASON and if that is true what should we do what should … Continue reading “inspired by the end”
Awakening
Awakening I have had experience with hospice prior to volunteering my own time with Holisticare. My mother was admitted to hospice December 17, 2011 and she passed away 10 days later, only 2 days after Christmas surrounded by her family. She was 48 years old. “Hospice” was a word that haunted me, a word that … Continue reading “Awakening”
Overcoming the Relationship with Death
The concept of death was always something that I refused to let myself think about. It has never been considered taboo in my household or within my religion but the idea of living in a world without someone close to me always scared me. When I was younger, death was never something that affected me … Continue reading “Overcoming the Relationship with Death”
Let the light touch what is dark through faith and compassion
When I first began my hospice volunteering experience I did not expect myself to be vulnerable and learn how death is also part of the light in our lives. My whole life death to me seemed like something horrible and painful. Yet, through my volunteering with my patient and the constant discussions with Reverend R. … Continue reading “Let the light touch what is dark through faith and compassion”
A New Perspective on Death
Death. A word typically tinged with sadness and heartache. Tears follow the remembrance of the loved one you have lost, and comforting words fail to make a change. Yet, what if death was not a process to mourn, but instead a process of final peace and hope? A family coming together to decide the most … Continue reading “A New Perspective on Death”
An Account of My Experiences
Volunteering at a hospice has been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. And this is beyond the fact that it is time on a Saturday that I could otherwise be studying or exercising or hanging out with friends and that it takes nearly 40 minutes to drive to the … Continue reading “An Account of My Experiences”
Changing Perspectives
Working as an Ascend Health Hospice Volunteer has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. It has not only given me first-hand knowledge in patient care and interaction, but encouraged me to answer thought provoking questions that have changed the way I view healthcare and hospice. I have had three patients in … Continue reading “Changing Perspectives”
Caring for the Dying
Caring for the Dying An excerpt from my untitled poem about my hospice experience: You are dying But you are still living Que sera sera All this time, we lived parallel lives. But for the past 8 months, our lives intersected every Saturday. Since the start of the Pre-med Hospice Program, I have visited one … Continue reading “Caring for the Dying”
Hallelujah
One Saturday afternoon, I was sitting with a group of patients in the cafeteria. Suddenly, the oldest patient, a 90-year-old woman with poor sight, fumbles for my hand, raises it high, and tells me to shout after her, “Hallelujah!” I awkwardly follow but she squeals in delight, “I did that!” Still ecstatic, she points to … Continue reading “Hallelujah”