I have never been particularly scared of death. To me, death is a natural thing that must happen to everyone, no matter the circumstances of their life. As a famous quote says: “The only things that are certain in life are change and death.” However, I still have never witnessed death in my life firsthand, … Continue reading “Life is Ephemeral”
Category: Athena Hospice Program
this is for posts in the category of Athena Hospice
Death as a Gift
Through my experience volunteering with the Hospice of the Piedmont, I have met many people and have listened to their life stories. Some interactions have been brief, lasting only hours. Others have been more consistent, giving me a deeper, more complete experience with caring for the terminally ill. One such interaction was with Jim and … Continue reading “Death as a Gift”
Understanding Death
My relationship with my hospice patient is meaningful because I know that sometimes I am the only one that tries to engage with her. I usually find her in a chair with the television on, even though she cannot see and can barely hear. Her caregivers do the tasks necessary to keep her alive, but … Continue reading “Understanding Death”
How My Hospice Volunteer Experience Influenced My Perspective on Death
During this past year, my experience as a hospice volunteer has allowed me to meet many patients and to reflect on my feelings about the process of death. While I was aware that I would be faced with death more than usual as a hospice volunteer, I did not expect it to affect me as … Continue reading “How My Hospice Volunteer Experience Influenced My Perspective on Death”
Six Months I’ll Always Remember
My hospice volunteer experience was completely different from my expectations, but still beautiful in some ways I expected and some ways that surprised me. With a partner, I began visiting a patient, Laura, in October. When we first me her, we were blown away by how healthy she appeared. Laura was walking around, dancing with … Continue reading “Six Months I’ll Always Remember”
Goodbyes
We live our lives dreading the topic of death, lest we provoke the Grim Reaper, Azrael, Yama, or whatever names we choose to personify death with. We understand that our time on earth is fleeting, and we are uncertain of when we will be unable to make the morning rush. I joined the hospice program … Continue reading “Goodbyes”
Hospice Volunteer Reflection
I was really nervous when I walked into the dementia unit for the very first time. Even though we had an extensive orientation, I still didn’t know what to expect. But my nervousness disappeared the moment I saw my patient Anne in the dining room. The first word that come to my mind to describe … Continue reading “Hospice Volunteer Reflection”
Rethinking How We Deal With Death
Death and fear are two words that quite often occupy the same sentence, but where does this fear of death come from? From the day we are born, the world we live in teaches us to fear death. We avoid talking about death. We refrain from actions that may cause death. We do everything we … Continue reading “Rethinking How We Deal With Death”
What More Can We Do?
I was lucky to have had the same patient, Sally, for the entirety of my participation in the hospice program. Creating a meaningful relationship with Sally was easy; she is talkative and loves having company. We spent most of our time together talking about her family. She has 5 children and a number of grandchildren, … Continue reading “What More Can We Do?”
Reflections on a Year of Growth
I have been fortunate enough to see the same hospice patient for my entire time in this program. Vivian is a sweet woman that loves to talk, although her vascular dementia means that her conversations are often confusing to follow and she never remembers exactly who I am. Still, her face always lights up with … Continue reading “Reflections on a Year of Growth”