School: Princeton

My first visit with “Ross” consisted of silence. When I first met him, he was sitting in a wheelchair by the window of the nursing home common room. This was my first time meeting a patient face-to-face, and I was terrified. Steeling my nerves, I approached his wheelchair and tried to introduce myself, but “Ross” … Continue reading “Sounds Crossing the Distance”

This past semester, I had the privilege of meeting KS, a new patient I visited each week as part of my hospice care volunteering. From our very first conversation, she shared stories from her childhood filled with warmth, humor, and deep family connections. As we laughed together about our fathers’ reluctance to replace worn-out clothes, … Continue reading “Presence over Cure: Lessons from Hospice Care”

My assigned patient, whom I’ll call R, is a 94-year old with prodromal (early stage) Parkinson’s, with hand tremors and speech problems; he’s hard-of-hearing and speaks limited English. Despite this, I spend 1.5 hours with R every Sunday, engaging him with sensory activities and music, including hand rubbing, clapping, dominoes, and velcro ball toss. What’s … Continue reading “Building Relationships Through Gratifying Patient Interactions”

Throughout my childhood and well into adolescence, death perplexed me as the most incomprehensible subject – and I mean that in the most literal sense of the word. I eschewed the thought of it whenever it wandered into my mind, which occurred more frequently than one might expect. Staring at the ceiling as I tried … Continue reading “Coming to Grips with Death Itself”

This year, I have been meeting with Anita. She has navy blue crocs with pink gibits, she likes ice cream and reading out loud, and she has a very sweet and strong personality. When I visit, we sometimes talk and sometimes watch what’s on the tv. I have listened to Anita describe the things she’s … Continue reading “Hallucinations and Hard Conversations”

When I first arrived at the care facility, I was afraid. I knew I didn’t and couldn’t understand the weight of what I was about to experience. My first patient was an older woman in the memory care unit. At first, I noticed she shied away from speaking, meeting me overly cheerful “hello” with a … Continue reading “A Learned Perspective”

I have spent the past few Sundays with “A.B.” and his wife, observing their love that has endured for over 50 years. Even in the face of illness and extended, multi-month hospice care, their love is strong—based on half a century of memories, unspoken understanding, and the kind of comfort that only comes after a … Continue reading “The Power of Presence”

Entering hospice volunteering, my aspiration was to refine my caretaking skills and deepen my empathy for patients’ needs. Yet, I grappled with daunting concerns about my own mental well-being and my perceived inability to provide comfort. I felt constrained, fearing I could only broach conversations about death, hindered by my lack of musical or vocal … Continue reading “My fears and resolve to help patients”

Throughout my experience in the Pre-Med Hospice Program, I was fortunate to form a bond with a patient whom I’ll refer to as Mrs. Anderson. Mrs. Anderson’s journey through life’s final chapters served as a poignant reminder of the intrinsic beauty and fragility of human existence. In the heart of the hospice setting, amid the … Continue reading “Lessons I’ve Learned from My First Year as a Hospice Volunteer”

The patient (named “Sophie” in this essay for anonymity) and I have become quite close over the past weeks. Initially, “Sophie” was reluctant to speak but as days passed by, she started opening up and our conversations became lengthier. As she grew cognizant of my presence and my weekly visits, I felt the nature of … Continue reading “Beyond Life”