Hospice honors compassion of volunteers at annual banquet
By Dave Mast
April 28, 2011
273
When it comes to glimpses of love and compassion, perhaps no act shines brighter than the act of volunteering time to spend with a person who is in the twilight of their life, knowing that their days here on earth are growing short.
For those who volunteer for Holmes County Hospice, knowing that they are making a difference in the lives of patients who are nearing the end of life is gratifying, and while they never seek accolades for their efforts, every year they are honored during a breakfast.
This years Hospice Volunteer Appreciation Banquet took place at Farmstead Restaurant in Berlin, where hospice personnel and volunteers gathered for a breakfast, and to rejoice in the knowledge that together, they are making a huge difference, both in the lives of the hospice patients and their families.
According to Dr. D.J. McFadden, the role of the hospice volunteer is one which is vital to the health of the family of a hospice patient, as well as to the well-being of the patient during their final days.
At a time when people are struggling, and the body is failing someone, it is a very emotional time for the patient and the family, said McFadden. It is a time when we need folks around us, more so than any other time in our life. You, as volunteers, have capably stood in the gap and fulfilled that role in ways that you may never realize. You have given of yourselves to be with someone that you may have just met, during a time when they are hurting, and you have done so with love and compassion.
The theme for the year is Go Light Your World, and that, said Lisa Mast, a licensed social worker, who organizes the banquet each year, is exactly what the volunteers do when they put so much effort and love into their work.
We have needed volunteers so that caregiver family members have much-needed time away, said Mast to the volunteers. We need volunteers to go stay with nursing home patients because their family members are too far away, or they have other concerns and are not able to make the trip to stay with loved ones. You have been a light to those families. You have been a light to those patients. You have provided comfort, and given care providers needed time away that they deserve. You have also been a light to the nursing home staffs, because so much is expected of nursing home staffs, and you have helped them meet those needs.
It has meant a lot to our families to know that there is someone who can stay with their family members and loved ones when they are not able to be there.
Mast went on to talk about how the volunteers have made a big impact on the hospice staff, noting that without the volunteers, they would not be able to successfully operate the programs they are able to run. She said that by having the volunteers lighten the demanding workload on the staff, they are more aptly equipped to perform other needed operations.
She said that the volunteers have provided a service that has touched many lives in many ways, and that no matter what is asked of them, they are always there to serve others.
You are the light in a day that may otherwise look awfully bleak to others, said Mast, who said that many of the hospice patients are unaware and quite surprised when they find out that the volunteers come at no cost to the patient. You are people who are willing to give freely of your time, just for the simple fact that you care and want to help. It is a true spirit of servanthood, and we are so grateful.
As always, a Volunteer of the Year was named, and Mast said that task is never an easy one, because of all of the incredible volunteers in hospice.
Mast said that choosing between the various volunteers is tough because they have so many who devote themselves to providing friendship and love toward hospice patients nearing the end of their lives.
This years recipient was Darlene Adams, an eight-year veteran of hospice volunteer services. Adams was honored, along with a number of other volunteers who have reached specific milestones in their volunteer careers.
This is such an incredibly rewarding thing for me, said Adams. It has definitely made me more aware of the spirituality of people, and how we all need people around us when our lives are winding down. Whenever people get close to the end of life and they know it, they want to know more about God, and I enjoy the opportunity to be there for them in that aspect.
Adams, who lives in Big Prairie and attends First Baptist Church in Loudonville, said she was totally unaware of the award coming her way, and was humbled and honored to receive it.
I was shocked to hear my name, said Adams. But I dont think any of us doing this get into it to gain any kind of recognition. Its just about helping others, and in turn, it is very rewarding to those who volunteer. There is no feeling in the world better than being able to help others at a time like that.
