It was one hot, sunny day in October. I was nervous, pacing around my room. I wasn’t quite sure what to think. It was the day of my very first patient visit with Holisticare. We carpooled to the home, we parked the car, we walked into the building and signed in. I had no expectations, … Continue reading “To Look Death in the Eye”
Program Year Ending: 2017
Program Year Ending 2017
Death and Communication
Hospice care is something I experienced first hand prior to this year. In 2007, as my mother was in her final weeks battling stomach cancer, we moved her from our home to a hospice care facility. Although I was only twelve, I remember this move as the time I finally realized that her death was … Continue reading “Death and Communication”
A New Perception of Death – My Experience as a Hospice Volunteer
In his The New York Times article “What Our Cells Teach Us About a Natural Death,” Haider Warraich writes, “We humans spend much of our lives denying death. Death, however, is not the enemy. If there is an enemy, it is the fear that death arouses.” I felt this enemy besiege my family as my … Continue reading “A New Perception of Death – My Experience as a Hospice Volunteer”
Acknowledging Death
Despite my interest in medicine and treatment of the ill throughout most of my life, death and dying have always been fairly distant concepts. When I once imagined medicine I fell into the trap, one that I believe is very common in society, that medicine is all about life: treating illnesses that challenge life, prolonging … Continue reading “Acknowledging Death”
A Holistic Approach to Patient Care
In the beginning, the idea of visiting a hospice was exciting yet incomprehensible to me. As an individual who has never experienced a significant loss of a loved one, I have never been placed in a situation where an impending death was constantly on the radar. Hence, when I was accepted into the Pre-Med Hospice … Continue reading “A Holistic Approach to Patient Care”
Frustration
Throughout my experience working with Seasons Hospice, my beliefs and expectations about end-of-life care have been profoundly challenged. I found myself surprised by the relative magnitude in which thoughts about my last few months on Earth scared me when compared to my thoughts on death. An issue that is brought up frequently, but is very … Continue reading “Frustration”
Hospice Reflection Paper
Watching my parents take care of my grandparents throughout the past years, I struggled when my parents would become frustrated and fed-up with the slowness and unresponsiveness of their own elderly parents. It was difficult to think that one day my own parents will need elderly assistance, and I will be the one to provide … Continue reading “Hospice Reflection Paper”
First Experiences with Hospice Patient Care
Throughout my experience as a hospice volunteer for the 2016-2017 school year, I learned not only a lot about the patient care aspect to death and dying, but also the spiritual. Growing up as a devoted Christian (and currently am today), I was always taught that death was not something to fear, but rather to … Continue reading “First Experiences with Hospice Patient Care”
On Death and Dying: Thoughts of a 20-something-year-old on the life before the dying process
I started out sophomore year as the eager pre-med student ready to take on all the challenges that came with the workload. When given the opportunity to interact with real patients I was really excited. But I was also terrified. I did not know how I was going to deal with death. I have always … Continue reading “On Death and Dying: Thoughts of a 20-something-year-old on the life before the dying process”
Changing My Perspective on Death
For the past five months, I have been visiting a patient with mental retardation who has changed the way I think about aging and dementia. When I first met her, she greeted me with a huge smile and showed me her collection of coloring books. Her passion for coloring and her constant grin made her … Continue reading “Changing My Perspective on Death”