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 \u201cJane\u201d. I was only able to meet with \u201cJane\u201d twice before her passing, but those brief visits had a lasting impact on me. \u201cJane\u201d had later stage dementia, which meant that communication was not always straightforward. At times it was difficult for us to fully understand each other, and I initially felt uncertain about how to engage with her in a meaningful way. However, those moments pushed me to think more creatively about connection and communication. At one point during our first meeting \u201cJane\u201d mentioned something about a dog. While I could not fully understand whose dog this was, or when the dog was present in her life, I quickly discovered that \u201cJane\u201d loved dogs. I showed \u201cJane\u201d pictures of my dog and her face would light up and she would respond with excitement. Even when words were difficult, we were able to share a moment of recognition and joy through those pictures. The images of my dog became a small bridge between us, allowing us to communicate. From \u201cJane\u201d, I learned that meaningful interaction with patients does not always depend on complex conversation or perfect understanding. Sometimes, connection comes through simple, shared moments that make someone feel seen and engaged.<\/p>\n
Seeing \u201cJane\u201d only two weeks before her passing also reminded me of how fragile life can be. When I last visited her, I did not expect that her condition would change so quickly. Her passing so soon after our meeting made me realize how unpredictable the final stages of life can be. This experience reinforced the importance of being fully present with patients during every interaction, even if those moments seem small at the time.<\/p>\n
Working with \u201cJane\u201d has also changed me personally. One of the biggest changes I have developed is a deeper appreciation for life and the time we have with people around us. Being present with patients who are nearing the end of their lives puts the finality of life into sharp perspective. It has made me more conscious of how quickly time passes and how important it is to value the relationships that shape our lives. In my own life, this experience has influenced the way I think about my family, especially my grandmother. She has sometimes mentioned feeling bored or limited in what she can do as she has gotten older. Before my hospice work, I might have brushed off those comments or assumed they were small frustrations. Now I hear them differently. Watching how aging and illness can gradually narrow someone\u2019s world has made me want to spend more intentional time with her and be more present in her life.<\/p>\n
For me, this program has reinforced my desire to pursue medicine with a patient centered perspective. As a future physician, I hope to remember the lessons I learned from \u201cJane\u201d: that listening, creativity, and empathy are essential parts of caring for patients. Even small acts of connection, like sharing pictures of my dog, can bring comfort and humanity to moments that might otherwise feel isolating. Hospice volunteering has shown me that medicine is not only about treating illness, but also about honoring the human experience at every stage of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 \u201cJane\u201d. I was only able to meet with \u201cJane\u201d twice before her passing, but those brief visits had a lasting impact on me. \u201cJane\u201d had later stage dementia, which meant … Continue reading “Finding Connection at the End of Life”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"school":[14],"program_year":[56],"class_list":["post-2633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hospice","school-haverford","program_year-56"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2633"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2779,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633\/revisions\/2779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2633"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=2633"},{"taxonomy":"program_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program_year?post=2633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}