Hospice volunteers, paparazzi, and taking a break

By Barbara L’Amoreaux

Last Friday I stepped into a different world when I entered the home of Judy and Les Kincade. Les is a Holy Redeemer Hospice patient, and Judy is his wife, caregiver, cheerleader, and mascot.

I am not a clinician, and I have never had a personal experience with hospice. I am merely lucky enough to work with some of the most amazing folks I’ve ever met—hospice professionals. My role was to accompany a reporter to the home of Les and Judy for an interview with Les’ hospice volunteer, Marcy Oleksiuk.

Making a difference for hospice patients in the dash

By Jean Francis, M.Ed., C.T.

Hospice volunteers make a difference in the dash.

On a typical headstone, two dates are etched in stone – the date a person is born and the date they die. What matters most, though, is not these goalposts in life. Instead what matters is the dash. That’s our life. That dash represents the short time we have on this planet to make a difference. Or not.

Making a difference means many things to many people. For the people who serve as hospice volunteers, what they do during that dash can be life affirming. They give the gift of themselves. They give their time, the most precious commodity on earth.