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Special to The Times Record
It was such a natural thing to do, former speech pathologist Cathy Goddu, told me recently. After she lost her mother four years ago, she was helped through the grieving process by a hospital volunteer who then steered her to Hospice Volunteers in Mid Coast Maine in Brunswick, where she took the training course and discovered a new calling. And thus, she said, she found a process that allows her to "give back."
Now, as director of training for Hospice Volunteers in Mid Coast Maine, Goddu has helped develop a wonderful group of people who have had similar experiences to her own and also want to "give back." Her training helps these volunteers impart the knowledge to those about to die that their lives have had value and dignity.
Since we are in the middle of National Hospice Month, this column is celebrating the mission of Hospice Volunteers in Mid Coast Maine: Executive Director Betsy Elder; Hospice Volunteer Director Cathy Goddu; Lynn Ellis, the new director of bereavement services; the entire staff; and the board of trustees.
Also, we want to salute the hospice volunteers themselves who give support to clients and their families, as well as those who lead the various grief support groups that the agency sponsors. (We wrote about grief support groups in our Oct. 27 "It's our time" column.)
But first, let's clarify some of the things that make hospice so special. It is not a place — although in some parts of the country, local hospices do have their own residential facilities. Rather, hospice is "an interdisciplinary program of care that provides relief from symptoms as well as emotional and spiritual support to people at the end of their lives." And as it does, it also provides support for the whole family throughout the final phases of life and throughout the grieving process.
In Mid-coast Maine, we have two hospice programs that often work in tandem. Community Health and Nursing Services (CHANS) provides hospice-trained, medically supervised professionals. Hospice Volunteers provide non-medical support via a resource center, support groups and trained volunteers. As the brochure says, "You can have either — or both!"
While CHANS requires physician referral, Hospice Volunteers does not. CHANS also requires someone to sign on as "primary care giver"; Hospice Volunteers does not. CHANS provides the comfort of palliative medical care; Hospice Volunteers' non-medical support complements the chosen treatment. CHANS is covered by Medicare; Hospice Volunteers involves no fees. And in both cases, CHANS and Hospice Volunteers work in the patient's home or at many in-patient or residential locations (rehab centers, nursing homes, etc.)
What services do Hospice Volunteers provide to build a special relationship with patients and their families? They help the family do what needs to be done — provide respite for caregivers; prepare meals; run errands; read to patients; help them write letters; do laundry and light housekeeping; help with seasonal chores.
Most of all, Hospice Volunteers are trained to be supportive and non-judgmental listeners, and also help the family find the resources that it needs, and provide the necessary support to solace families after the patient has gone.
They act as any good friend would, seeking not to make the family depend upon them, but rather to make them aware that they have a support system to help them get through a most difficult time.
Hospice Volunteers in Mid Coast Maine is located at 45 Baribeau Drive in Brunswick, and on the Web at http://www.hospicevolunteers.org/. To contact the agency, phone 729-3602 or (toll-free) 1-888-486-0340.
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Becoming a hospice volunteer
Men and women of all ages, from all religious and ethnic backgrounds, of different sexual orientations, and educational and economic backgrounds are welcome to sign up for hospice volunteer training. A new program will begin this coming spring.
Know of an issue, organization or event that might be of interest to older adults? Drop us a line at:
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It's our time,
The Times Record, P.O. Box 10, Brunswick, ME 04011-1302
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