Introduction:

In October of 2001, I began training as a hospice volunteer. My initial motivations were somewhat selfish. I wished to do a creative nonfiction thesis for my master’s degree and felt that hospice would be the perfect place to collect stories. It had long seemed to me that older people had wonderful, and often insightful, stories to tell but that outside their immediate families they were rarely listened to, or recorded, in any fashion. In addition, impending death commonly causes a level of introspection that is not routinely engaged in. I was terribly interested in learning what these patients had to say; what stories they might choose; what wisdom they might share, now that they were faced with the final days of their lives.

I also felt that this would allow me to put my writing skills to work doing a service for patients and their families that they might value and treasure for many years to come. I had done volunteer work before and, since returning to school, I was missing it a great deal. This would enable me to squeeze some personally satisfying volunteer hours into my hectic schedule as a student and busy mother.

Where I had miscalculated, I soon learned, was in the ability of the hospice patients to record their thoughts and stories at any length. As it turned out, the vast majority of the patients were, sadly, too far along in their illnesses to have retained even the small amount of physical strength required to impart their stories or share their thoughts. Those that did have the strength and desire, generally choose to speak directly with their loved ones, rather than having a “stranger” record their words on paper.

However, by the time I had finished my volunteer training I was hooked. Despite the fact that my thesis project would not work out unless, I reasoned, I was willing to take a decade to work on it, I wanted to continue as a hospice volunteer. The people I had met during my training were truly wonderful, compassionate people who genuinely desired to help others. Simply walking in the front doors gave me a sense of being in a unique place sheltered from the hustle and demand of “normal” life and where people cared about others and wanted to help in any way possible.

When a class presented me with the challenge of writing stories about a family or community group, I thought almost immediately of hospice. This time, however, I could focus my writing efforts on the volunteers instead of the patients. I had already learned that every volunteer had interesting stories to tell and I believed that the volunteers were, themselves, in many ways uniquely interesting.

The individuals, myself included, who are drawn to work as volunteers at hospice are those that believe very strongly in, and are deeply committed to, hospice principals, whether through personal experience with the death of a loved one or some other reason. It was my strong belief in basic hospice philosophies, combined with my admiration for the people who work there so tirelessly, that drew me to pick this topic for my paper.

I began by contacting the volunteer coordinator for hospice, Carol Weimer, in order to get initial permission and for her suggestions about who I should speak with. In Carol’s usual way of going above and beyond to help, she immediately not only suggested two names, but called the individuals for me in order to introduce my project and ask permission to give me their contact information. In less than an hour she called me back to tell me that both volunteers had agreed to let me interview them.

The first volunteer I interviewed, Howard Burger, is one of the most active volunteers at Hospice of Dayton and has been a volunteer for over eight years. Howard welcomed me to interview him at home and he was delightful to speak with, telling me a number of interesting stories about the things that volunteers do or have done. My second interview was also conducted at the home of my interviewee. Marietta Adams (who requested that I not use her real name) was one of the few, brave, initial volunteers and labored with Betty Schmoll to bring the hospice program and its ideals to Dayton. She has been a volunteer for twenty-five years and was able to share with me how hospice was started in Dayton and many of the initial struggles that its founders faced.

Since I interviewed one of the very first volunteers, and one who had been with hospice the better part of a decade, I choose for my third interview a volunteer who had gone through the training with me just a year previously, Tom Krakow. I was interested in finding out if his perspective as a “new” volunteer would differ from that of the others. Tom and I spoke at the hospice facility and, like the other two volunteers; he shared with me some interesting stories and unique experiences. Tom seemed to share the same sense of commitment to, and personal satisfaction in, his efforts that Howard and Marietta expressed.

Additionally, I interviewed Carol Weimer in order to gather some background information and to ask a few questions about volunteers such as the screening, training process, etc., and followed up with Howard Burger on some details of his experiences. In the process of interviewing the people for this project, I was again struck by what caring, giving, and special people these are. Though I hesitate to paint them as heroes, in my mind, they certainly are. They do this work quietly, without recognition or reward except for the gratitude of families and their own personal sense of “having given something back.”

My hope is that this project will illustrate the necessity and importance of the hospice program as well as the graciousness, benevolence and generosity of its volunteers. And also serve to acquaint some who are unfamiliar with hospice and its principals with the important work that is being done by those involved in the hospice movement. As some have said; in the end we will all need far more grace, good will and help than we have ever given or earned ourselves. I am thankful for those who give regardless of, and without thought to, what has been earned and I applaud their efforts.

-Sandra Hadick
November 17, 2002