Six Months Volunteering At The Hospice

Yuekuang Ku, August 2011

“We grow in time to trust the future
for our answers”.
              
– Ruth Benedict



You might have seen or heard of the TV show Undercover Boss. It is a reality show where the boss goes undercover in his own company for a week, trying out a number of jobs, working with people in different departments, seeing first-hand how things are done and hearing from the frontline employees their experience and problems on the job, all the time keeping a false identity and a disguise.

My hospice experience is somewhat like that, though I was neither undercover nor a boss, in that I moved around in various departments. Since I started in March of this year, I have already worked in several areas. I've done mailing and filing, replenishing admission packets and assembling the "Crisis Care Book", helping with the Open Your Heart luncheon, and recently getting trained to work with the Quality Improvement department. And patient care for the Hospice House. I do monthly safety checks and I've even baked cookies.

Like those undercover bosses, my involvement with these departments was not in depth. I work only 6 hours a week. But I get to see and appreciate how hard each person at the Hospice works to make it such a wonderful place.

I have a few favorite moments at the Hospice:

On my third or fourth week, Dinah (who has since left the hospice) asked me to write. It turned out she wanted me to write envelopes! So I was the "envelope writer" for a day. A writer, nonetheless.

One Tuesday in late July when I came to work, Isabel asked me to help. She had a volunteer training session that evening and was shorthanded. Isabel asked me if I could attend the session and speak. I was totally unprepared, and I had so little experience. But I would be there at the hospice until 8 anyway, and I thought my lack of experience might make sense to the new volunteers, so I said yes.

On the panel were Jim and Mary (not her real name). They both are veteran volunteers and told many inspiring stories. And they gave me a lot of encouragement. It was so wonderful I was pleased that I did not say no to Isabel. I probably never will from now on!

On August 9th, I went to work at the Hospice House at 4. After signing in at the volunteer desk, I "walked the floor" to situate myself. Next to one of the nurse stations, I saw Mary, the volunteer I met two weeks ago. It was so good to see her again, and she gave me a big warm hug. She then told me, "I checked my Mom in here yesterday".

Only four days ago, the doctor diagnosed her mother with leukemia and predicted a few more weeks for her to live. But two days later her condition had deteriorated so much the doctor changed it to a few days. Mary arranged to have her mother checked in at the hospice the next day.

Mary's father, a sister, and some other family members were there. They were sad, but it was also obvious that they were very proud of Mary for her volunteer work and were grateful to have the support from the hospice.

As I watched them, I realized that is my favorite hospice experience: I feel blessed to have the opportunity to come and witness how generous life is and how dignified death could be. By offering myself to hospice volunteer work, I become at ease with myself, and I feel at home.