During my time volunteering in hospice, I had the opportunity to spend several weeks with a patient living with dementia. From the first time I met her, she always greeted me with a faint but warm smile. It felt as if she recognized me and was happy that I had come to see her. That … Continue reading “What my patient taught me”
Category: Athena Hospice Program
this is for posts in the category of Athena Hospice
The persistence of emotional awareness despite the disappearance of verbal communication
During this essay, I will refer to my patient by an alias name of “Mark,” in order to protect his privacy. Throughout my hospice volunteering, I have had the opportunity to regularly spend time with one patient, “Mark”, who is nonverbal. While “Mark” initially took some time to warm up to us, after a few … Continue reading “The persistence of emotional awareness despite the disappearance of verbal communication”
Ms. Purple
Ms.Purple was a patient for me that always made my heart warm because everytime we saw her she was happy to see us even though really she didn’t remember who we were. She was always grateful for us coming to visit. It felt like we made her day better even though we weren’t there for … Continue reading “Ms. Purple”
Sounds Crossing the Distance
My first visit with “Ross” consisted of silence. When I first met him, he was sitting in a wheelchair by the window of the nursing home common room. This was my first time meeting a patient face-to-face, and I was terrified. Steeling my nerves, I approached his wheelchair and tried to introduce myself, but “Ross” … Continue reading “Sounds Crossing the Distance”
Connecting with time
Meeting Emma has been one of the most meaningful and eye opening experiences during my time as a hospice volunteer through Athena. One of the first and biggest worries I had coming into the program was the fear that I wouldn’t be able to fully fit and respond to her needs, but after every meeting … Continue reading “Connecting with time”
Presence over Cure: Lessons from Hospice Care
This past semester, I had the privilege of meeting KS, a new patient I visited each week as part of my hospice care volunteering. From our very first conversation, she shared stories from her childhood filled with warmth, humor, and deep family connections. As we laughed together about our fathers’ reluctance to replace worn-out clothes, … Continue reading “Presence over Cure: Lessons from Hospice Care”
Building Relationships Through Gratifying Patient Interactions
My assigned patient, whom I’ll call R, is a 94-year old with prodromal (early stage) Parkinson’s, with hand tremors and speech problems; he’s hard-of-hearing and speaks limited English. Despite this, I spend 1.5 hours with R every Sunday, engaging him with sensory activities and music, including hand rubbing, clapping, dominoes, and velcro ball toss. What’s … Continue reading “Building Relationships Through Gratifying Patient Interactions”
The grace in living and passing
My first patient, Jane, was the epitome of the beauty of life. Whether that is ironic or not, her demeanor, attitude, and behaviors reflected my own in my ways. I knew immediately that I would connect with Jane guaranteed by the most mundane things. Her dedication to her style, craftiness, music, kindness, and chatty personality … Continue reading “The grace in living and passing”
Final Reflection and Thoughts
Having a meaningful Hospice patient relationship has similarities to being a good physician, because of the kindness and compassion needed to provide the best care for their patients and to provide them and their family comfort regardless of the situation. It’s important to have a good balance of compassion as you always want to care … Continue reading “Final Reflection and Thoughts”
Reflections on the Importance of Compassionate Personalized Caregiving
The Athena Institute Hospice volunteer program has provided me with an invaluable learning opportunity to expand my knowledge on communicating effectively with patients and those who may be suffering. Throughout the year, we have covered many transformative topics that I am beginning to incorporate into my everyday life. I find myself calling upon these lessons … Continue reading “Reflections on the Importance of Compassionate Personalized Caregiving”