As a pre-med hospice volunteer I have had the opportunity to gain an experience that has shaped me into the person I am now and the person I will be going into med school. When I first started volunteering for Hospice, I had just started taking a course in medical anthropology in which we discussed grief and loss. During that lecture I was able to connect many of those experiences to ones I had in hospice as well as to the Being Mortal video that I had watched prior to volunteering. Before going into hospice or this course, I had little to no experience or personal knowledge regarding hospice or how to cope and best support others during vulnerable moments. Having gone through these experiences, I have witnessed the importance of focusing on quality of life rather than receiving multiple invasive treatments with the end goal of pushing back the inevitable, that being the finitude of human life. I had always believed that with the hope of getting better, one should continue to receive treatment upon treatment, however, in cases that there often is no cure, it would only hurt the patient more. The goal with treatment should be to prioritize the patient’s goal over the goals of medicine. To explain, in medicine individuals are often seen as just another medical case that must be diagnosed, but what most doctors often forget is that patients have their own emotions stemming from years of tradition or culture that impact their view on life and their goals when mortality comes knocking on their door. In one way or another, hospice is the medium that provides patients with the end of life quality care that they deserve and need especially when going through vulnerable moments. Not only are the patients suffering, but their family and friends are also going through difficult moments. So knowing that there is someone helping to provide a comforting space can ease the worry in their hearts. Not only that, but hospice offers care that is quite opposite from the care or environment that is provided in hospitals which typically have a sterile, white environment in contrast to familiar and comforting surroundings at home or in hospice care.
For these reasons, I have strived to provide a space in which I can provide my patient with an unlimited amount of support and companionship to not only make them feel less lonely during these difficult times but to also improve their quality of life and end of life care. I have always wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and hospice has provided me with the best opportunity to do so. Taking into account the relationship that I have had with my patient, I was able to learn how to be comfortable with silence and to listen to others without providing advice, but instead just simply listening and validating their thoughts and feelings so that they feel understood. During my last patient visits, I played country music and through that my patient and I have found acceptance, compassion and understanding through one another. The music has allowed us to share stories of our life and has given us the chance to even relate on certain aspects which in the end has eased my patient’s loneliness and pain. I recall the moment my patient told me she appreciated me and that she enjoyed me visiting her. That was all that I needed to hear to understand how impactful hospice can be and to understand the importance of companionship and in prioritizing quality care.