By:Angela Marshall
It-s not that Theresa Coretto or the other Good Shepherd Hospice volunteers sitting around the organization-s conference room one snowy afternoon last month are immune to grief or the harsh reality of human frailty. But they know if they allow sadness to take over, they will lose the great opportunities they have been given.
Coretto of Bellmore began volunteering for Hospice more than a decade ago, going into homes, nursing homes and hospitals to visit with the dying. Her job is to comfort others, but Coretto maintains that she too benefits from the experience. The other volunteers agree.
There-s a lot of satisfaction, said Kay McKiernan of Lido Beach. She said she gets as much as she gives if not more. It-s just a great experience.
The volunteers say they are often privileged to watch moments of quiet beauty as patients and their family members come to terms with their situation. It astounds me sometimes, Coretto said, the bravery of these people. I hope I-m half as good when my time comes.
Like many Hospice volunteers, McKiernan began volunteering after she witnessed the care the organization gave to her own family when they suffered a loss. Lucille Brundvedt, volunteer coordinator for Good Shepherd, estimated that about 75 percent of the organization-s volunteers have lost a loved one and want to help others through the process.
Genevieve Brett of Rockville Centre has always been drawn to volunteer work and helped open St. Anthony House, a shelter for homeless men. For her, Hospice work is a way for her to give back for all the blessings she has been given. She said it is very spiritual to her.
Good Shepherd is an integral part of Catholic Health Services and the ministry of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, but it welcomes volunteers and patients from all religions. Hospice is designed to offered compassionate end-of-life care to those with a life expectancy of six months or less, who are no longer receiving curative treatments.
McKiernan said it is important as a volunteer to recognize right away that you-re not going to be able to fix the problem. She said you can-t go in thinking I-m going to work a miracle here. And, she said, it helps to have a good sense of humor.
When Coretto meets with a new patient and family, she breaks the ice by asking questions such as, How did you meet your wife? She said that more than anything they want to tell their stories, and the family members are grateful because they have heard them over and over already. Other times the patient is too sick to communicate and the volunteers are just needed to sit with them. McKiernan said she uses this time to meditate.
Part of a Hospice volunteer-s duties is to give the primary care giver, often a close relative, time to themselves. Brett remembered how one family used to sit with her while she spent time with their mother and how grateful they were when she let them know that this was their time. I-m not running out, she told them. Go. And they did. It gave them a chance to go out to lunch, bowling and even make a quick trip to Connecticut.
Good Shepherd is holding its next volunteer training session on March 4. To set up a pre-training interview, call Brundvedt at (516) 876-8485.
