What is a Hospice Volunteer?

Being a hospice volunteer can be fulfilling and also a kind of accomplishment. Before we could actually work as a volunteer, we had to attend a class for several weeks and watch a video in our homes. Then we had a meeting with the Volunteer Coordinator, who talked to us about what hospice volunteering is all about. She was open to our questions, and helped us to understand what our new venture would entail and how we could find fulfillment. There were also some rules, such as we were not to administer any medication to patients unless we were instructed as to how, when and what was to be given. We were to appear cheerful and greet them as another friend, and we could not accept money or other gratuities for our time. Lastly, if we had any problems we were not sure we could handle, we should call the Hospice office for help.

The first patient I visited was an elderly man who was so frail and thin that I was shocked at the sight of him. I had never seen anyone so thin and weak. He was living alone in a mobile home, where a neighbor checked on him occasionally. He held a crocheted cross in his hands, looking at it quite intently and then placing it on his chest. I prayed with him and held his hand for awhile, but it was difficult to tell if he relaxed or was just too tired to talk. He spoke only a little, and his voice seemed so taxed and weak, it was almost impossible to understand what he said. Early the next morning I received a call that he had died during the night.

At this time and in this particular town, most hospice patients stayed in their homes and that is where we visited them. We would sit with them while their caregivers took some time to get out of the house for shopping, or just to get away and enjoy a bit of freedom. I sat with one patient whose wife loved to play Bridge, and she would go for a couple of hours in the afternoon to enjoy playing. She always told me where she would be in the event I needed her, or I could call the Hospice office in an emergency, and they would send a nurse or who was available. Often while I was there, this lady did some of her chores around the house, and if her husband (the patient) was sleeping, I would help her. She also would sit alone with her husband while I tended to some small tasks; we became good friends and still communicate on occasion.

In this kind of work, one meets patients with a variety of personalities, as well as various attitudes. A positive attitude is so great in this kind of situation, although it has to be difficult for some. Those patients who are having a difficult time accepting the fact that the end, or death, is near for them are usually deeply morose or a little grouchy when someone tries to cheer them up. The one thing that worked best for me was to explain and/or show them the promises of our Lord - the fact that they would have a new life and spend eternity in Heaven. This, of course, works best and more certainly with a patient who is of the Christian faith.