Why I Chose To Become A Hospice Volunteer
By: Georgina Antwi-Boasiako
March 28, 2023
Before I go into the reasons why I decided to go through the lengthy process of becoming a Hospice volunteer, I believe it is important to understand what a Hospice is and why it was created.
Hospice care is a type of Medicare-regulated care for patients who have six months or less to live. Hospice care is appropriate when the focus of treatment shifts from curative to comfort. Hospice can be a beneficial option for patients and a source of emotional and physical support for their families when curative treatment is no longer available. Children, patients with any end-stage chronic illness, as well as those with progressive degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS, and others, all receive hospice care. The goal of hospice is to make the patient as comfortable as possible by focusing on three interconnected aspects: physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Hospice also provides counseling to help patients and families cope with the process, as well as a support network.
As you can see, hospice care is beneficial to many people in this country, but what made me want to become a hospice volunteer? So, in my twenty-six years on this planet thus far, I've had some terrible losses, including an Uncle and my younger sister. However, my family has been a driving force in my support during these difficult times. I've seen how heartbreaking it is to lose someone close to you, let alone watch a loved one decline, and I couldn't imagine going through it alone, and no one should have to. So I wanted to be an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, and just be there as someone who cares about them, their feelings, their mental health, their physical health, and their overall quality of life, no matter what. I wanted to be that person for someone else in the hopes that it would help them a little while they were going through something as difficult as this.
I intended for this to be a brief post. Volunteering in any capacity is an excellent way to share your skills and simply who you are with your community. It is a way of giving back to your community and making it a better place. "Leave a place better than you found it," a wise person once said. I believe it is critical that we do everything possible to improve our environment. That's another reason I decided to start this website/blog. I felt like I had so much to say and share with my community in the hopes of providing guidance to the younger generations, particularly through my feature section of this website. It is my way of bringing to light the many amazing people in this community who are doing incredible things to provide a network of people to whom the younger generations can turn for guidance and advice.
I hope this inspires you to volunteer if you haven't already. If you're thinking about volunteering, consider the following:
Do you want to work with adults, kids, animals, or from home?
Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
How much time are you willing to devote?
What skills can you bring to a volunteer position?
Do you prefer to work behind the scenes or be more visible?
What causes are important to you?
As always, if you ever have questions or comments, please Contact Me. If you enjoyed reading this post, please share it and follow my Instagram page to get notified of future posts! Thank you very much and I'll see you in the next post!