Hospice volunteering will, without a doubt, help shape me into the physician I wish to become one day. I have now experienced both sides of healthcare: the medical aspect which aims to treat a patient for their disease, and the comfort aspect which aims to provide happiness towards the end of one’s life. I will … Continue reading “New Perspectives”
Category: Athena Hospice Program
this is for posts in the category of Athena Hospice
The Importance of Presence
On the introductory day of the volunteer program, our leaders had us go around in a circle and explain our experience with death. I immediately felt uncomfortable due to the fact that I would be soon sharing extremely emotional stories with peers whom I just met. Up to this point of my life, I have … Continue reading “The Importance of Presence”
Hard work: Building a Relationship with a Patient and a Relationship with Death
Throughout my volunteer experience, the relationship that I have created with my patient, who I will call Richard, has given me a new perspective on what it means to have a life and live one. Throughout this year, our relationship has grown. I’ve seen his guard come down, met his family members, laughed with him, … Continue reading “Hard work: Building a Relationship with a Patient and a Relationship with Death”
Ever-Changing Visits with Helen
For the past six months, I have been visiting Helen. I’ve gotten to know a few things about her life, but the woman herself has changed drastically in the time I have known her. Helen has late-stage dementia and doesn’t remember most of the things I know about her. For our first few visits, we … Continue reading “Ever-Changing Visits with Helen”
In the Common Room
There is a difference between healthspan and lifespan, and at some point, one has to ask oneself when to stop trying new treatments if it comes at the cost of their overall happiness and well-being. What does it mean to aspire to live as long as possible if such days, weeks, months, or years are … Continue reading “In the Common Room”
The Tea That Never Was
My volunteer partner and I were finishing up our check-ins for our visit and were on our way to visit our last patient for that day, Martha. Visits with Martha in the past had been genial but otherwise largely uneventful. She loved to discuss relationships, both ours and hers. Alert, responsive, hilarious, and always appreciative … Continue reading “The Tea That Never Was”
The Humanity in Effervescence
My first patient, Jane, was an animated talker and a lovable person. Visiting her was a surprisingly normal experience—every day I would come in and have a regular conversation with a regular person. A few visits in, I was walking through Jane’s doorway as usual, ready to say hi, but was stopped dead by her … Continue reading “The Humanity in Effervescence”
The Conversation of End of Life
My patient, whom I will refer to as George, is a 92 year old man with Alzheimer’s disease along with other medical diagnoses that impair everyday functioning. Due to his deteriorating mental and physical state, he resides in a locked unit. From the beginning of the hospice program, my volunteer partner and I learned about … Continue reading “The Conversation of End of Life”
At A Loss For Words
For most of my life, I have believed in the power of words—that if the right words were said in the right order at the right time, they could fix any problem that I encountered. Being a shy person by nature, whenever it was my turn to speak in a conversation, I would stammer and … Continue reading “At A Loss For Words”
Learning From Stories
I spent all of my time during the hospice program with one patient, Mrs. M. Some days she was mobile, and we would walk around the nursing home together. We would sit and rest when she needed to, but I was often amazed by how much she could walk. She spent other days laying in … Continue reading “Learning From Stories”