"Volunteers are an integral and valued part of the team," says Taren Sterry, manager of volunteer services for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care. "They provide that extra level of care and comfort that neighbors used to provide for free, without thinking about it."
Hospice volunteer Linda Harris spent many a recent hour typing up poems and, in the process, learning about life and death, love and family, honesty and what it takes to make a difference. Written over time, some in the final months of life, the poems are the legacy of a remarkable 80-something woman Linda calls "The Poetry Madame."
"I am sometimes asked if it is difficult to be a hospice volunteer, to get to know someone only to have them pass away. The short answer is no. It is rewarding, transformative and life-affirming. The longer answer involves death as part of the continuum of life, understanding expectations, maintaining personal boundaries and undergoing adequate training and education."
...read more of this good article at the Huffington Post.
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