I only had one patient relationship throughout the year before it got cut short by the COVID pandemic. I met Jane early in the fall on my first visit with my volunteer coordinator, and she was a tough cookie. At 105 years old, she was full of life. Jane had one close family member remaining … Continue reading “The Power of Companionship and the Impact of Meaningful Patient Care”
The Necessity of Positive Relationships in Healthcare
The Evangelical hospice program has been a great experience for me thus far. This past semester, I looked forward to visiting patient Eileen every Friday. Eileen always smiled when I walked into her room. Although she did not remember me, I still feel as though we built a friendship throughout each visit. During my visits, … Continue reading “The Necessity of Positive Relationships in Healthcare”
Something as Little as Companionship Makes a Difference
As a hospice volunteer with the Athena Institute, I’ve had many valuable realizations as a premed student and just as an understanding person moving forward in my career. Many aspects of this experience enlightened me to new ways of thinking about and understanding people that I haven’t been exposed to before in my life. A … Continue reading “Something as Little as Companionship Makes a Difference”
Volunteering For Hospice
When I first applied to be a hospice volunteer, I didn’t think much about it other than that I wanted to volunteer in a hospital setting and that I had volunteered with the elderly population before. I didn’t realize how much I would actually end up learning over the course of the year. I learned … Continue reading “Volunteering For Hospice”
What I Learned From My Hospice Experience
Over the course of the year, I received training that allowed me to meet people through the hospice program close to my school, Bucknell University. I had one patient for a couple weeks (with winter break and the new remote learning schedule, I was unable to meet with multiple people). I definitely learned a lot … Continue reading “What I Learned From My Hospice Experience”
First Day
“I don’t think I’m ready for this,” I told myself while driving to Green Meadow nursing facility on my first day of volunteering with Holisticare. As my friends and I stepped into the facility and went through the routine of check-in and sanitization, I gathered all the courage to get ready to meet my first … Continue reading “First Day”
Understanding & Appreciating The Finites of Life
The first time walking into a patient room in a hospital as a hospice volunteer, I didn’t expect to feel as helpless with my patient as I did. Perhaps it was because as a college student, I hadn’t yet fully grasped the concept of death. Being young with dreams of a long and successful future, … Continue reading “Understanding & Appreciating The Finites of Life”
Connecting and Exploring as as Hospice Volunteer
I was assigned to one patient throughout my experience volunteering with a hospice program. Unfortunately, my time was cut short based on a slightly late start and an early ending due to the coronavirus. However, the time I was able to spend with my patient was truly eye opening. First, one of the most interesting … Continue reading “Connecting and Exploring as as Hospice Volunteer”
Finding Life in Dying Times
I followed the Project Leader down the brightly lit hallways of the nursing home, beaming what I hoped was a warm smile at those we passed and anxiously gripping the lanyard hanging around my neck. It wasn’t my first time at a nursing home—I had spent two years volunteering in one during my high school … Continue reading “Finding Life in Dying Times”
Planning and Impermanence
Death has only begun to affect my life in the last few years. Prior, I rarely thought about death and what it entailed, and I felt detached when others would talk about the passing of their loved ones. However, I began to think more about death when my grandpa was dying in the hospital during … Continue reading “Planning and Impermanence”