LorainCounty.com

The Blue Moon Hospice Volunteer: Comforting Patients in Their Last Hours

June 23, 2011 — Perhaps the most poignant job in hospice care is that of a Blue Moon volunteer. Blue Moon refers to a rare event, when there are two full moons within the same month. The second full moon is termed the blue moon. Blue Moon volunteers have the unique task of taking care of actively dying patients when no one else is there for them, either because the individual has no family or because family members live far away from the patient.

Of the scores of New Life Hospice volunteers, only twenty are Blue Moon specialists. "When informed that a patient's death is imminent, the Blue Moon volunteer will drop everything and go to the facility or home bedside," says Susan Tansey, volunteer service coordinator of New Life Hospice. Blue Moon volunteers remain at the bedside until the patient dies.

"The work of Blue Moon volunteers is a humbling and spiritual experience. These volunteers make a profound difference in a dying individual's journey. It is the ultimate gift in honoring a life," says Susan.

One of the key distinctions of New Life Hospice compared to other facilities is the rigorous training program that volunteers are required to undergo. A Registered Nurse with an additional B.S. degree in psychology, Susan was able to pull from multiple disciplines to develop a comprehensive, 16-hour training course for volunteers, complete with a manual. The course includes such topics as the philosophy of hospice, a grief workshop, stages of death and dying, needs of the families and survivors and the do's and don'ts of hospice volunteering. She submits the volunteer candidates to an additional four-hour, hands-on training experience at the New Life Hospice center to make sure they are psychologically and emotionally healthy to take on the job of hospice care. Volunteers must also undergo re-certification each year.

What becomes crystal clear in speaking to Blue Moon volunteers is that they are uniquely blessed with an extraordinary empathy and an ability to listen.

Sally Ann Wiech, 67, a resident of Lorain, became a hospice volunteer as a promise to her son Jason, who died of leukemia in 2005. "I promised him I would do something in health care," she says. She wanted to give back.

The retired human resources director feels that one of her most important functions is to listen to the dying patient. "Many patients feel they have unfinished business and want to talk about their past. Our life flashes before our eyes when we are dying and we go back in time. We are unwinding the tape, and feel that we need to fix things somehow," she claims. While dying patients may want to unburden themselves, many family members don't want to hear it because they cannot accept the reality that their loved one's life is actually ending.

Sally Ann also raises an uncomfortable issue: sometimes the dying do not even want family members around them when they are ready to die. "If a relative is highly emotional, the dying individual is forced to think about the other person's needs, rather than their own, when all they want is to die in peace," she says.

Sally Ann's goal is to "Bring a peacefulness to the person who is dying, as well as to those who are learning to say good-bye. I hope that I give them compassion, caring and, most of all, love, even though we don't know each other well. We can still communicate love," she adds.

Another remarkable Blue Moon volunteer is Al Thiery, 79. Al is a retired musician who, until recently, inspired his patients by strumming a variety of tunes and hymns on his guitar and banjo. The Vermilion resident, who has been conducting Bible studies and memorial services at Nursing Home and Chappel Inn, was encouraged to become a volunteer by his daughter, who was a hospice volunteer.

Although Al doesn't aggressively promote religion in his hospice work, his goal is to change the spiritual climate of the dying process and promote the growth of the soul. He describes how he bonded with one patient, a former hard-nosed Cleveland detective who had seen numerous horrors in his days on the police force. "We talked about a lot of things and I brought him tapes of classical music. He saw that I wasn't pushing religion on him. One day I walked into his room when he was listening to one of the tapes I gave him. He grumbled, 'I think I've got religion because of you!'" says Al with some amusement. He firmly believes that music soothes the soul and is a tremendous vehicle in breaking down barriers to bring people closer together.

Al has post-polio syndrome (PPS), which is a progressive, degenerative disease leading to paralysis. He sees this as an opportunity: "My disability makes people feel more comfortable, without a doubt. I am able to empathize better with people who are suffering."

Al believes that he is filling the gap between the role of a doctor and that of a minister in his hospice work. "In the course of my experience in hospice, I can see that doctors are dedicated to curing people. And sometimes, they discover that they cannot cure them. So it becomes quite painful and difficult for doctors to cope. Also, ministers are so busy with seeing so many people that they may not have the time to get to know patients. I fill the gap," he says.

Echoing what Sally Ann said about the need of dying patients to express final sentiments, Al recounted the story of one patient who had a falling out with his son. "The father wanted me to tell his son how much he loved him, despite their conflict," says Al. The son was en route to the hospice facility, but never made it in time for his father's death. Al then relayed the father's sentiments to the young man, who was deeply, visibly moved.

It is those moments when Al knows how important his work in hospice really is.

New Life Hospice is a special program that provides support and care to individuals and families coping with terminal illness. A dedicated staff of professionals and volunteers provide pain and symptom management, personal care, emotional and spiritual support. New Life Hospice Center of St. Joseph offers a home-like setting for those patients and families that have special needs.

New Life Hospice celebrates life and believes that dying is a life experience. They believe that the terminally ill and their families require special care and that the ministry and work of New Life Hospice affirms and uphold the sanctity of life.

For more information on New Life Hospice, visit MercyOnline.org.