When I applied to be a hospice volunteer, I expected and embraced the fact that I would have the opportunity to serve others. I did not realize just how much the experience would provide to me in return. With the intention of pursuing a career in medicine, my time serving as a hospice volunteer has provided great opportunities to interact with patients. More importantly, however, is the perspective the program provided me on both death and the stages that precede it.
My most meaningful patient relationship during the hospice program was formed over the course of six months. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit with Mary throughout this period, since I know many other volunteers in the program had patients pass away in this time frame. Mary suffered from senile degeneration of the brain, making long conversations difficult. I worried that I would not be able to form a connection with her during my early visits and that forming a meaningful relationship would be difficult. I doubted whether I could truly have a positive impact on her life at all. As I continued to make visits and reflected on the time I spent with Mary, however, I developed a deeper understanding for the importance of the work I was doing. With each visit, I felt that I was learning more and more about Mary and discovering how to make a deeper and more impactful connection during my visits. My growth over the course of my visits with Mary was the result of my deeper reflection on the meaning of hospice care.
While planning to pursue a future career in medicine, I never truly considered the role hospice plays in the lives of patients every day. End-of-life care and death are not easy topics for physicians and are often overlooked in the field of medicine. Given how doctors are trained for years through medical school and residency on ways to treat patients, the idea of death is an antithesis to much of doctors’ training and can be linked to an undue sense of failure. Through my participation in this program, I was able to reflect on just how important this time in life is. These final stages of life are not indicative of any failure by doctors but instead are the final pages of a person’s story. The final chapter of life can be a truly beautiful and meaningful time for the patient and their families. Hospice is there for people during this difficult time, which is what makes serving as a hospice volunteer so rewarding. Though the end-of-life may have once seemed unimaginable, this time comes for each person nevertheless.
My learning over the course of the program brought a new perspective to my visits with Mary. I realized that just spending time with her was important because it meant that she was not alone. Each visit was an opportunity to positively impact her life just by being present with her in the moment. Whether I conversed with her, held her hand, or listened to her sing, she knew she was not alone in those moments. Every moment in life is precious, and being a hospice volunteer allowed me to share in some of the final moments of Mary’s journey. An experience that will forever shape my perspective on death and what it truly means to care for a patient.