School: Villanova

When I first joined this program, I had been learning how to cope with my grandfather’s transition into a nursing home. His dementia had been rapidly progressing and I watched his mental decline grow worse alongside my family with each subsequent visit. Coming into this program, I had some prior experience with patients in nursing … Continue reading “In The Face of Loss: Where Little Wins Make The Biggest Difference”

My experience as a hospice volunteer was one that I highly value. Though I was only able to participate for a semester as I didn’t return to campus during the spring semester, my visits with patients in the fall were meaningful and provided me with insight about this essential part of patient care. I visited … Continue reading “Final thoughts”

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the pre-med hospice volunteer program, and I am thankful for each of the interactions that I shared throughout the past year. I vividly remember one of my most impactful interactions. A fellow student and I were meeting with a husband and wife, and the husband was comforting his wife … Continue reading “Reflection on Experience at Haverford Sunrise in Haverford, Pennsylvania”

This year with the Athena Hospice program has given me invaluable experiences and life lessons that I plan to take with me for the future. Over the course of this program, I have been able to create genuine relationships with my patients  and it opened my eyes to care in a way that I have … Continue reading “The Importance of Treating the Spirit”

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I signed up to become a hospice volunteer. I suppose that based on my experiences watching my grandparents go through end-of-life care, I imagined that my visits might involve talking with patients about death, consoling them in their pain, and offering a hand to hold or a … Continue reading “Irish Jigs and Disco Balls: Joy in the Face of Dying”

Throughout the program, my group and I visited many individuals across various care centers. While it was challenging to forge deep connections given the limited duration of our visits, one invaluable lesson I learned was the significance of viewing each patient through a multifaceted lens, beyond the confines of their medical diagnosis alone. One memory … Continue reading “More Than Medicine”

Throughout my participation in the Pre-Med Hospice Program, I embarked on a journey that profoundly shifted my perspective on life and death. The program’s reflections and prompts, such as ‘Imagine yourself in the patient’s shoes’ and ‘Reflect on a time when you felt most at peace ‘, allowed me to explore the intricacies of end-of-life … Continue reading “Lessons Learned from Life and death”

Working with my patient, let’s call her “Sally,” over the past semester has been an absolute treat. Sally has lived in Philadelphia her entire life. She enjoys playing board games and going outside on the porch. Sally always smiles at the nurses and attendant that come to and from, and likes to sit by the … Continue reading “The Story of your Life”

Many of my patients have limited communication abilities and/or have experienced a decline in their cognitive abilities which impacts their communications. One of my patients has severe dementia and is unable to discern who I am or why I am there to visit with her, but she is always cheerful and excited to see me. … Continue reading “A Complete Life”

As a means to respect their privacy, the patient mentioned in the following will be referred to as “Mr. Bob.” “Mr. Bob” and mine relationship was the most meaningful out of the many patient relationships I had the opportunity to develop as a part of the Athena Hospice experience. When we first met, I remember … Continue reading “Why Everyone Should Be a Hospice Worker”