Working at a hospice confronts losses, especially seeing the passage of your newly made friends. However, I firmly believe that the gains in experience far outweigh these losses. The relationships are always calm and friendly between the volunteers and patients and require input from both the patient and the volunteer. I have had many friendships … Continue reading “A Reflection on Meaningful Relationship in Hospice Work”
Author: A Student
Seize the Moment – the Perpetual Transformation and Lessons I Learned in Hospice
As a volunteer at a local hospice center, I dedicate 2-3 hours each week to meet and interact with patients. While my encounters with some are sadly fleeting, each volunteering session has become a weekly highlight. Our activities range from coloring to watching TV shows and nature scenes on the C.A.R.E channel, and our conversations … Continue reading “Seize the Moment – the Perpetual Transformation and Lessons I Learned in Hospice”
Hospice Reflection
I volunteered at the inpatient unit at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Baltimore. The first patient that I truly connected with was “Ms. Emily”. Every time I visited her, she would tell me stories like what it was like when she was growing up, how she felt about her kids, and her experience working as an … Continue reading “Hospice Reflection”
Embracing Compassionate Connections: Insights from Hospice Volunteering
My patient, “Ms. Katherin” was a 90-year-old woman with heart disease. She was a kind-hearted soul, she was very social person and enjoyed socializing with others despite her illness. Our relationship as a Hospice volunteer and patient was built upon trust, empathy, and companionship. I visited her weekly in the residential house to provide emotional … Continue reading “Embracing Compassionate Connections: Insights from Hospice Volunteering”
Illuminating the Shadows: Finding Light in Hospice Care
Hospice was an area of healthcare that I was familiar with only to the extent of it being a period of a patient’s life where defeat is accepted in the face of death. Whether it be by physicians or a patient’s family member, this end-of-life care was projected to be a moment of sadness and … Continue reading “Illuminating the Shadows: Finding Light in Hospice Care”
My Hospice Volunteering Experience
Through hospice volunteering through the Athena Institute Pre-Med Hospice Volunteer Program, I was able to learn so many things. I worked with a variety of hospice patients suffering from a variety of conditions. This gave me the opportunity to communicate with a wide range of people who all had different circumstances and situations. Due to … Continue reading “My Hospice Volunteering Experience”
Values that we own
Almost approaching the end of the volunteering and looking back, I know that I have learned and grown a lot in many aspects. This experience provided me with an opportunity to gain a variety of medical knowledge but also it impacted my personal growth. I cherish this volunteering experience a lot because, all together, I … Continue reading “Values that we own”
How Hospice Helped Me Grow, Both Individually and Professionally
My patient, “Rose,” and I hit it off very quickly when we met. While “Rose” struggles with independent mobility, she is of sound mind, and the two of us enjoy having in-depth conversations about a variety of topics. I visit her each weekend, and we always find something new to discuss. The first couple times … Continue reading “How Hospice Helped Me Grow, Both Individually and Professionally”
Embracing Transitions
While volunteering at AGH, I have learned and gained a lot of insight into people’s everyday suffering and the rite of passage that begins the moment we are born: Death. As a natural occurrence, it manifests differently for each person. It should not be feared but rather accepted as an essential component of the journey … Continue reading “Embracing Transitions”
Providing a Good Death
When I initially joined this program, I was not entirely sure what to expect. I understood that hospice programs were to medically assist people as they face the end of their life. However, I quickly realized through my volunteering that hospice, and dying in of itself, is much more than overcoming medical challenges. It is … Continue reading “Providing a Good Death”