Volunteering at the Hospice included lots of inspiration, effort, impact, and personal growth. The reality that the Hospice patients were suffering and distress is what motivated me to become a volunteer at our local Hospice and sign up for the class at the high school that goes over to our local Hospice. My class and I came up with the idea for our activity by thinking to our self who around town needs our volunteer work the most and we came up Hospice. The fact that the people at the Hospice were suffering and upset is what inspired me to go out and be a volunteer at our local Hospice. The volunteer activity started by the class and me going over to the Hospice and them teaching what we can and can not do. After learning what we can and can not do, we …show more content…
The effort required to do the service project was be on time, be fastidious to the patients, have a positive attitude, have a full tank of gas, and just be ready to work. The work that I did at Hospice included delivering flowers to patients, visiting patients that just needed to talk to someone, doing a spa day for the patients, or doing what every hospice needed me to do for. I drove to the patient’s house, the hospital, or the nursing home to deliver their flower, talk to them, or do a spa day for them. The steps that I had to take to accomplish this goal were baby steps. The steps included recognizing that the Hospice patients are usually their patients because they are close to death, become close to the patients so we would have a good relationship when I would visit them but I would have to make sure the relationship was not to close because then I would be hurt when they passed away, and then the final step is just do the work that is asked of me. The only other people that I recruited to help were the rest of my
God tells his children, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation). Death is one of the most frightening and confusing times a person can go through. Watching a loved one pass away is also one of the hardest trials a person can experience. Many people assume that death is a time of pain and the only thing that they can do is mourn and watch their loved one fade away from the earth. This is wrong. There are ways that people can turn a bad situation to good. Dying doesn’t have to be painful and full of suffering. The County Hospice staff makes sure of this. The Hospice staff not only takes care of passing patients physically, but they also take care of the patients emotionally and spiritually. Hospice staff also plays a key role in helping families during the grieving process.
In the beginning of my senior year I was eager to expand my understanding of how it would be to work in a hospital. An opportunity arose allowing me to volunteer in the hospital at the University of Chicago. I was able to volunteer at the children's playroom, which consisted of a weekly commitment. The daily tasks I had to perform where to enlighten the spirits of children and reduce the amount of anxiety that developed within them when they approached a hospital visit. I would play games, read books, or just company the patients at their bedside. I especially love to interact with the younger patients because their laughter and innocence warms my heart up.
Adam Davis author of What We Don’t Talk About When We Don’t Talk About Service states “What separates our form of service from other forms of service is above all its voluntary character, which is revealed or confirmed by the fact that service work is non remunerative, or barely remunerative.” Its all about that character that is inside of you, I have to have the right character every day when going into Hospice because I need to be the one that brings the excitement and joy to my patients. I have to have that connection with them each day to be able to see how they are feeling and what I can do to make their day
On February 14th I spent a day doing something I never thought I would do in a million years, I went to hospice. I always thought I would hate hospice, but I actually didn’t mind it too much, it isn’t a job I see myself doing in the future but it is a job that I understand why people do it and why they enjoy it. During this observation I was touched by how much these nurses really seem to care for each of the patients that they have.
During the summer or even on weekends my mom would take me with her to go help out her patients. Which included bathing them, feeding them, and caring for them. Not only did I help my mom with her patients but I would always help rake leaves, pick up trash and make their yard look nice. I can’t even image how they would’ve done all the things I did for them with their fragile bodies. I’m glad I was there for them and made a difference. Aside from helping my mom’s patients. I helped an elderly man who was on fire in his backyard. It was around spring time and I heard someone screaming yelling “help” so I went around to look and there he was on fire. I tried so hard to put out the fire and it felt like mission impossible but I did not give up even though the ambulance were on the way. He was burnt pretty bad, but I was so glad I found him. Who knows it could’ve been worse! He is still alive till this day and sits on his porch waiting for me to pass by his house every morning to say good morning. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that I not only changed a life but I saved
Why I want to volunteer I am directionless. Lost in a sea of people; people who all seem to know what they want to do with their lives. Volunteering can help me find a direction, a path that I want to be on. Assisting patients and workers provides more information on working in a hospital than any course or the internet can provide.
At the beginning of this volunteer experience, I walked in hopeful that I would gain some knowledge about the different careers that the medical field possesses, but I got so much more than that. I learned that community service is about making an impact in the lives of other members who share my community.
It was the summer of 2013 when I was living with my grandparents and they told me about volunteering at the church. I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I took the initiative to go find out for myself that following Sunday. I was in the balcony on Sunday, when I heard the announcements saying we can volunteer for their hope food pantry. I was excited because it was going to be a chance where I can help other and get community service hours. Volunteering I began to think positive thoughts and telling myself “ I am doing a good deed”.
My first encounter with hospice was on the receiving end and I remember asking the hospice nurse that first day, “How can you do this every day?” I will never forget her answer, “Hospice is not about dying, it’s about affirming life, helping people live their last days to the fullest.” During the next several months, I began to understand how true her words were. Today, as a volunteer, those words echo in my mind each time I’m about to meet a new patient.
Up until a few years ago I never thought that one of my grandparents would be in a nursing home. I had always been lucky to have them healthy. However, this changed about a year ago when my grandfather had a mini-stroke, which caused him to require extra care my grandmother could not provide. Watching my family deal with my grandfather made me aware of the care and services the elderly need and has made me realize how important it is to volunteer at a local nursing home.
Volunteering enables an individual to make a positive impact on his or her community, while empowering the individual to better his or her life. This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many diverse locations. From the hospital to the local library, I truly value my experience and treasure everything it has thought me. Volunteering lets us experience and learn things that we otherwise would not have learned; volunteering opens doors for us that we may not have been able to open before. Volunteering provides us with guidance and tolerance which we may use in the future to aid us in our decisions. At first glance, volunteering may seem to only benefit those who are helped, but on a deeper level, one can realize that volunteering benefits the volunteer as much as, if not more than, those who are helped. Not only does volunteering make a difference in one’s community, but it also helps the volunteer become a smarter, happier, friendlier and more caring individual.
A reflection of my volunteering experience can be summarized in two words: Life-changing. It is hard to explain the feelings that occur when you involve yourself in selfless acts for your community, such as volunteering. There is a feeling in your heart that you cannot ignore, maybe it is the happiness you feel or the overflow of emotions in helping others. In other words, it is a feeling in which you want to share with others. Maybe with a friend, maybe a classmate, maybe a family member, or maybe even a stranger. Either way, spreading how life-changing volunteering can be is a great start to making a positive change in your community by simply by involving others.
I also had the privilege of helping with the Meals on Wheels non profit organization. My grandfather used to be a Meals on Wheels recipient and he would share with me how he enjoyed looking forward to their company and a hot meal daily. I volunteered because I wanted to give back and help someone else’s loved one in the same way. It was very rewarding delivering hot meals to people who didn’t have the means of getting one as well as being there for them to talk to. Overall, it was a very humbling experience, it made me realize just how blessed I am and how much I take for granted daily.
I volunteered at East Parkside Nursing Home through my church 's mentoring program. At first, I was somewhat uncomfortable volunteering at a nursing home because my great-grandfather, among many others, was mistreated in a nursing home. But, as the day went on and we engaged in activities with the residents, I eventually calmed down and got into the smooth of things. We had one-on-one contact with the seniors, and we learned about their lives and families. One of the seniors was a veteran who fought in the Vietnam War and he told all of the volunteers a few short war stories. For several residents, their families rarely visited them, so they genuinely appreciated the volunteers spending time with them. Later, we made holiday cards and sang Christmas carols for the senior citizens. They seemed so elated and pleased, which made me feel so fulfilled that I could make someone 's day by doing something so