Herein lies an account of various End Of Life experiences I have been a part of. All names and identifying commentary have been omitted.
Person 1 - I began weekly visits with Person 1 (P1) in February, and they ultimately passed in April. P1's spouse had passed just 1 week prior to my first visit with them, and our visits were a combination of friendly companionship coupled with holding space while they grieved. P1 was in regular contact with their children via phone (FaceTime), and they were avid sports fans. We spoke at length about their spouse, how they'd met, what song was most special to them, and so on. I learned that they missed being able to read, so arranged for audio books to be brought into their space. I brought in desserts and we played with finger-crocheting a blanket between us. As their transition time neared, they confided in me that they were able to see and hear their departed spouse. This was something they weren't able to tell others, so it was special to me that I was trusted with this information. Just prior to them taking their next step into the beyond, I played the special song for them, assured them that their spouse was near and waiting for them to take their hand, and tucked the completed crocheted blanket under their hand. They transitioned the next day.
Person 2 (P2) - I began weekly visits with P2 in July and they ultimately passed in November. They had difficulties in both vision and hearing, making communication something of a challenge. Many visits, I simply spent sitting quietly and playing music while they rested. Over time, I met some of their family members, and P2 began to trust me and to smile when I arrived. Eventually I learned P2 enjoyed having lotion applied to their hands and to have manicures performed. We tried 2 different colors of polish before P2 left us for their next adventure. I performed Reiki as they entered into their early active stage of dying. They passed that same evening.
Person 3 (P3) - P3 was an 11th hour vigil request. I sat with P3 for about 4 hours, met with one of their sons and updated the Hospice RN with my observations when they visited. I played some of the music their son had mentioned they liked, and when another volunteer came to relieve me, I relayed what I had learned to her as well. 20 minutes after I left, P3 transitioned.
Person 4 (P4) - P4 was my first person who had chosen to die at home. I began visiting in late January. Unfortunately due to a series of illnesses across me/P4/P4's spouse, and/or travel, I was only able to visit once early on to meet everyone, and then again as a respite visit less than a week before they transitioned. During that final visit, I read to P4 aloud and played some peaceful music. I offered to come again in the next few days, but the family chose to remain close and did not desire additional support. P4 passed in early March.
Person 5 (P5) - I began visiting P5 around the same time as I began visiting P4 (January). P5 was in a new-to-me nursing facility, and I learned a few visits in that they had a regular visitor in addition to me in the form of a close family friend. P5, I learned, enjoyed the Food Network, and we spent many of our visits watching Chopped and laughing together over dog food commercials (they loved dogs.) P5 had some challenges related to communication, but was very clear in signaling their likes or dislikes. The nursing staff at this facility learned to view me as a friend and would ask for my help with various things, including feeding. As a Hospice volunteer, we are not permitted to actually feed a patient, but we can hand them things like a cup and allow them to take things in as they wished. P5 slowly began to withdraw as their time neared, until my visits with them were largely sitting with them, playing music, and administering Reiki. They stepped into their next adventure in June.
Person 6 (P6) - I began visiting P6 in July 2024. They were assigned to me following a needed leave from a fellow Hospice volunteer, so I had notes to reference prior to meeting P6. The notes suggested there may be some safety challenges (a desire to walk around when it is not physically safe for them to do so due to frailty), a love for their baby doll, and their awareness and alertness may vary from visit to visit. More notes to come.
Locations served:
Home-based
Inspire Medical Resort
John Knox Village Care Center
University Health Lakewood Medical Pavilion
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