As an end-of-life doula and hospice volunteer, I am honored to ‘sit vigil’ with someone as they are actively dying. Healthcare providers may call this ‘transitioning’. This is the tender time as death draws near, and your loved one continues their journey away from their earthly body. What should you do? What can you expect?Continue reading “The Vigil – A Tender Time”
Tag Archives: hospice
At the Intersection…Women Physician Day and Black History Month
I like to think I know a bit about hospice, including the story of Dame Cicely Saunders, regarded as the founder of hospice in London after World War II. The idea was planted in her heart when she worked with a Polish refugee after the war, then as a volunteer nurse in a hospital. FocusingContinue reading “At the Intersection…Women Physician Day and Black History Month”
Hello, Doula! Are you there?
When is it time to consider adding a doula to your team? Is time limited due to a terminal diagnosis? Are you tending to a loved one and don’t know how to be helpful? Did you hear the word ‘hospice’ and can’t wrap your head around the idea? Are you grieving the loss of aContinue reading “Hello, Doula! Are you there?”
Every Story is Different
I recently spoke with Sarah, the Social Work Supervisor with Grace Hospice, to get her take on the role of a social worker at the end of life. As a doula and hospice volunteer, her comment “Every story is different” resonated with me. Every patient. Every family. Every journey. Every story. As a hospice volunteer,Continue reading “Every Story is Different”