A year is a long time to be visiting patients – or 7 months really. Looking back, a lot of my patients blur together especially since I didn’t often see the same patients for long periods of time. So what sticks out instead are the brief interactions, the ones that were unique and special and … Continue reading “Snippets from my past year as a hospice volunteer”
Author: A Student
Small Gestures and Memories, and Carrying On Legacies
One of my most meaningful interactions during my hospice experience was a visit with a couple who had been together for 50 years, but who had only recently gotten married at the care center last year. While the husband Jack was deteriorating at a much faster rate than his wife Lisa, Lisa was able to … Continue reading “Small Gestures and Memories, and Carrying On Legacies”
My Hospice Volunteer Journey
Being a hospice volunteer has been instrumental in improving my understanding of the death and dying process, as well as in teaching me how to interact with actively dying patients and their families. Prior to becoming a hospice volunteer, I was completely unfamiliar with the dying process. I had done clinical volunteering before, but the … Continue reading “My Hospice Volunteer Journey”
Seeking Joy
The patient I’ve been visiting for the past 5 months, “Elaine,” has extremely advanced vascular dementia. During my visits, I usually try to talk or read to her. Since she’s hard of hearing, I’ll get really close to her face and touch her arm. The touch will almost “wake” her up for a few seconds … Continue reading “Seeking Joy”
My Experience
Watching Being Mortal and the prompts I received helped me view death a lot differently. I also took an APSD Preparing for Health Careers course at Villanova and it also gave us insight on the work of a hospice volunteer. We followed the story of one woman who was told by a family not to … Continue reading “My Experience”
Learning Through Death
Death is a concept that has always been hard for me to discuss and completely accept as a part of my human experience. Facing the idea of your own morality is taboo within our society. This taboo is even more apparent for younger people who have a sense of invincibility. I have only experienced one … Continue reading “Learning Through Death”
The Boundaries of Medical Treatments and the Importance of Self-Understanding
My most meaningful hospice relationship was with a 50 year-old patient named Tom. On the day I visited Tom, it was his 50th birthday and he had balloons and cards from family visits earlier in the day. After introducing myself, Tom’s first response was mentioning that today was his birthday and that he was spending … Continue reading “The Boundaries of Medical Treatments and the Importance of Self-Understanding”
How Hospice Changed My Perspective on Death and Dying in Medicine
Before my hospice experience, the only way I could conceptualize death and dying was through images of hospital rooms, death, and loss. I accepted death as natural, but it had a sense of sterility, and in the medical sense, I, like many, tied death to defeat. Over the course of my hospice experience, I have … Continue reading “How Hospice Changed My Perspective on Death and Dying in Medicine”
A Different Perspective on Death
Volunteering in the Pre-Med Hospice Volunteer Program has been a rewarding experience I did not expect in the entire duration of the academic year. It was something unique compared to other volunteer programs as it involved more patient communication and interaction. Death has been one of the topics not openly discussed in society, and my … Continue reading “A Different Perspective on Death”
Being Comfortable With Death
A difficult problem arises as society advances and medical technologies and treatments improve. In times like these, it is hard not to strive for the most aggressive form of treatment for one’s patient in hopes of prolonging their life. Yet, the endeavor of the medical profession should not solely be based on survival, but overall … Continue reading “Being Comfortable With Death”