One of the most meaningful relationships I formed during my experience volunteering at Daylesford Crossing was with a woman I will call \u201cDeb Collins\u201d and her daughter. I had the opportunity to meet with them a few times, and during those visits, I spent much of my time not only with \u201cDeb\u201d but also learning about her life through her daughter\u2019s stories. These conversations became incredibly impactful, as they allowed me to understand \u201cDeb\u201d not just as a patient, but as a mother, a caregiver, and a person who had lived a full and meaningful life and raised a wonderful daughter.<\/p>\n
Rather than focusing solely on \u201cDeb’s\u201d illness, our time together centered around who she was before she was on hospice care. Her daughter shared stories about \u201cDeb’s\u201d younger days and the way she raised her family. Listening to these memories helped me realize how important it is to see patients as whole individuals rather than as hospice patients. Even when \u201cDeb\u201d was not always able to actively engage in conversation, her presence, combined with her daughter\u2019s reflections, created a meaningful space of connection.<\/p>\n
Through this relationship, I began to understand what Being Mortal<\/em> emphasizes\u2014that the end of life is not just about medical care, but about honoring what matters most to the patient. \u201cDeb’s\u201d story reinforced the idea that maintaining identity, relationships, and dignity is just as important as managing physical symptoms. Hospice care allowed her to remain surrounded by love and familiarity, which I could see brought comfort not only to her but also to her daughter.<\/p>\n This experience significantly shaped my personal and professional growth. Initially, I was nervous about what to say or how to act around patients nearing the end of their lives. However, over time, I learned that presence is often more important than words. Simply listening, being attentive, and showing genuine interest in a patient\u2019s life can have a profound impact. My time with \u201cDeb\u201d and her daughter helped me become more comfortable with silence, more empathetic in conversations, and more aware of the emotional dimensions of care.<\/p>\n Additionally, this experience strengthened my sense of vocation in pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant. It reminded me that medicine is not only about treating illness but also about supporting patients and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. Hospice care, in particular, highlights the importance of compassion, communication, and patient-centered care, which are values that I hope to carry into my future practice and career.<\/p>\n Personally, I want to go to PA school instead of medical school. For my PA school applications, I would describe this program as an invaluable opportunity to develop both clinical awareness and emotional intelligence. It provided me with firsthand exposure to end-of-life care and taught me lessons that cannot be learned in a classroom. Through my experiences with patients, and particularly my time with \u201cDeb,\u201d I learned how to approach patients with kindness, listen actively, and appreciate the significance of their life stories.<\/p>\n Overall, my hospice experience has had a lasting impact on how I view patient care. It has reinforced the importance of dignity, empathy, and human connection, and it has confirmed my commitment to a career in healthcare where I can provide not only medical support but also empathetic care to patients and their families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most meaningful relationships I formed during my experience volunteering at Daylesford Crossing was with a woman I will call \u201cDeb Collins\u201d and her daughter. I had the opportunity to meet with them a few times, and during those visits, I spent much of my time not only with \u201cDeb\u201d but also learning … Continue reading “The Power of Being Present”<\/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":[10],"program_year":[56],"class_list":["post-2736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hospice","school-villanova","program_year-56"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2736","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=2736"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2826,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2736\/revisions\/2826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2736"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=2736"},{"taxonomy":"program_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.athenainstitute.com\/ahp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program_year?post=2736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}