One of the most meaningful relationships I formed during my hospice experience was with a resident in the memory care unit. Each time I entered his room, he would sit up to greet me, offering a level of kindness and respect that immediately stood out. Despite living with significant memory loss, he enjoyed talking about … Continue reading “How My Hospice Experience Changed the Way I See Patient Care”
The Power of Presence: Lessons in End of Life Care
When I first approached the idea of hospice volunteering, I understood patient care in terms of a traditional medicine model. Specifically, following the idea that the role of the physician and caregivers is to intervene, to treat and to cure. As I approached my first and only patient thus far, a woman I will call … Continue reading “The Power of Presence: Lessons in End of Life Care”
There is More to Healthcare Than Medicine
The first time I met my patient, every sense of nervousness I had previously felt completely vanished. I was no longer focused on how I felt at all, the only person’s emotions I was considering and focusing on were my patient’s. I immediately wanted to comfort her by understanding how and what she might have … Continue reading “There is More to Healthcare Than Medicine”
Finding Meaning in Death (and Life)
My first encounter with medical end-of-life care happened quickly and quietly. While shadowing in a hospital emergency department, I watched as a patient coded shortly after arriving. Within minutes, the room filled with a bustling crowd of clinicians in grey and blue scrubs. Just as quickly, the activity stopped. The team stepped away, and the … Continue reading “Finding Meaning in Death (and Life)”
Finding Connection at the End of Life
During my hospice volunteering experience, one patient who stood out to me was the first patient I was paired with, a woman I will call “Jane”. I was only able to meet with “Jane” twice before her passing, but those brief visits had a lasting impact on me. “Jane” had later stage dementia, which meant … Continue reading “Finding Connection at the End of Life”
Grief never stops.
My journey doesn’t end here. Although I have not received a patient and didn’t have the opportunity to interact with a patient, I feel as though I learned so much and grew a lot when it came to topics surrounding death and grief. Death. When someone you’ve known dies, and that person was so close … Continue reading “Grief never stops.”
Hospice Care: An Experiential and Emotional Journey
All of the patients I have been assigned have been wonderful experiences – being able to learn more about their lives and just being in the moment with them. However, one patient that did stand out to me was “Bryan”. “Bryan” wasn’t able to talk but he showed acknowledgement of my presence through subtle body … Continue reading “Hospice Care: An Experiential and Emotional Journey”
Learning to Meet Patients Where They Are
Entering my second year of hospice volunteering, I thought I already understood what presence meant. During my first year I spent time with a patient who was almost completely silent. He was nonverbal and had significant hearing loss. At first I felt unsure about how to interact with him because so much of what we … Continue reading “Learning to Meet Patients Where They Are”
The beauty of Forgetting
Growing up, I have visited many care centers for the elderly. Not all of them have been hospice, and not all of them have been for family members. My mom trained our first dog as a therapy dog, and we would go with her on her visits as our golden retriever brightened up the days … Continue reading “The beauty of Forgetting”
The Value of Human Connection When Facing Death
Over the course of the past eight months, I have had the pleasure of growing close to an 84-year-old woman suffering from congestive heart failure. With her being hard of hearing, initially I struggled quite a bit to grow close to her using my typical communications skills. At first, I tried using whiteboards and notebooks … Continue reading “The Value of Human Connection When Facing Death”