Showering Our Hospice Patients With Love- From A Teammate, Volunteer and Work-Study Perspective

From Sarah Macias: I love celebrating holidays. When I knew I would have the chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day with one of our Faith patients, I was ecstatic. I knew it had to be special.

As I learned about the patient we would visit, I tried to put myself in the shoes of a loved one. I asked myself, ‘How would I want my loved one to be treated when celebrating their last holiday?’ Once I had the answer I moved on to the next question, ‘How would I want to experience my last holiday?’ The answer to both questions was with joy. I wanted to be sure and provide my full attention and joy to the person I was about to meet.

Marjorie was the respite hospice patient I was hours away from meeting. In that time, I learned she loves roses and cinnamon rolls. Roses happen to be my favorite flower too. As for cinnamon rolls who can deny they are so good! These are the items we gifted our patient, along with a hand-made Valentine’s Day card and make-shift heart necklaces.

The 5 of us; A CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) teammate, two of us from Forefront Living, a Forefront Living work-study student and Faith’s music therapist walked in with smiles and greetings. Marjorie reciprocated. She looked happy, comfortable, at peace and just ready to embrace all that’s about to happen.

Meeting Marjorie was a reminder to me that life is precious and count your blessings. I admired how present Marjorie seemed to be, and how happy she was regardless of what life threw her way. Marjorie embraced all the gifts, sang her heart out to all the songs, and wanted to take pictures.

I know part of why Marjorie felt this much happiness was because of her surroundings at Faith Hospice. She mentioned how she felt she was on vacation, and her loving relationship with the nurse was evident in how they communicated.

Personally, the best part was when Marjorie gave me a hug. She hugged me like she meant it. I am a hugger, so I know the difference. For a split second I felt the same feeling I would feel when hugging my grandma when she was alive. My grandma was everything to me, and I appreciated that reminder, so I hugged Marjorie a little tighter. She truly made my day!

It’s important to always surround yourself with the right people because they are the people who will influence and support you the most, from a child to a hospice adult, every moment matters.

From Jocelyn Ramirez: When my supervisor told me we were going to visit hospice patients for Valentine’s Day I was excited and nervous. I did not know what to expect. The day we went to visit the hospice patients, I knew I just wanted to make the patient happy. Once we dressed up for Valentine’s Day and we entered Marjorie’s room, she immediately smiled at the sight of our make-shift heart necklaces, heart headbands and sunglasses. Marjorie also dressed for the occasion with her red and white pajamas. She was so vibrant and lovely. I was happy to see we all put a smile on her face. Marjorie sang songs, and she even poked fun at all the heart strings I was wearing around my neck.

The second patient we visited, Willie, was also happy to see us and sang songs with us. She made funny jokes and was excited to get one of the make-shift heart necklaces we offered her. I was happy I got to experience making someone’s Valentine’s Day special. This was such a special experience, and it made me feel good that we were able to make this a memorable for the hospice patients. I am very thankful for this experience. 

From Mary Lipel: Having the opportunity to visit and meet with the residents at the hospice center was such a beautiful experience that I will always be grateful for. This was my second year visiting with the residents, and it has been so impactful. You can feel the love, warmth, and compassion the moment you walk in the door. It was wonderful sharing stories with the residents, learning about their families and history. Seeing the resident’s face light up as they sing along to their favorite songs was heartwarming. Their beautiful smiles were a testament to the joy and love which flourishes at the hospice center. My time spent with the residents has been a beautiful blessing and helps remind me that every moment matters.