LETTERS: HOSPICE VOLUNTEER FINDS HER REWARDS

To the editor:

April 9-15 is National Volunteer Week. It's a week set aside every year since 1974 to recognize and celebrate the efforts of the thousands of men and women in this country who volunteer their time and energies to help others. Nationwide more than 150,000 volunteers provide over 16 million hours of service annually to Americans with terminal illness and to their families. I am proud to be counted as one of these individuals and want to join in saluting my fellow volunteers.

Three years ago I became a volunteer with Southeast Missouri Hospital's hospice program in Cape Girardeau. I was looking for a way to give back a small part of what hospice had given to my uncle in his final weeks of life. I wanted to feel like I was really helping someone that my time was worthwhile. I just never imagined how fulfilling it would be. I went through many hours of training to become an integral part of the caregiving team of doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains.

For those of you who don't know, hospice is considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care at the end of life. It involves a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's wishes. Emotional and spiritual support is also extended to the family and loved ones. Generally, this care is provided in the patient's home or in a homelike setting operated by a hospice program. The hospice care team addresses all of the symptoms of illness with the aim of promoting comfort and dignity.

Hospice volunteers make this special way of caring possible. Simply put, we are there to take care of whatever needs to be done. We are there to hold a hand and listen, run an errand, or maybe just read to the patients. We are there to step in when a family member needs a break from caring for a loved one. And we are there for the family and friends after their loved one has passed away.

I have worked side by side with members of this community who devote their time -- and their hearts -- to the work of the hospice team. I have been a witness to the work of these angels, and they deserve our heartfelt appreciation. I have seen patients go into remission and be free of cancer for a long time. And I have seen families who can't thank us enough for all the help hospice gave them through the most difficult time in their lives.

People often ask "Isn't it depressing?" when I tell them I'm a hospice volunteer. These days, as we hear more and more about the end of life and what it means to have a good death, I smile and tell them: "It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done."

GLENDA QUINN

Cape Girardeau