What my patient taught me

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”


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”