The patients I am visiting are elderly. Most of them are suffering from dementia, amongst other illnesses. Some of them need wheelchair assistance to walk. Most of them are not articulate, but they think they are. Some of them have family visiting them every now and then, others don't see a familiar soul for weeks altogether. So, when a stranger comes by and spends time with them, talk to them, listen to them; they love it. Verbal communication is not the only form of communication. Some of them love it when you just sit next them, hold their hand. They appreciate compassionate behavior and are responsive to it. They might not recognize me every week or be able to have a conversation with me, but they do feel my presence. They do respond to me, most of the times in non-verbal ways.
I have already made 3 visits to the hospice... I try to visit once every week. The first 2 went by without any significant event. I went there, chatted with my assigned patients and left. It was casual, very very casual.
There is one patient who is very, very responsive to volunteers. I always have a great conversation with him (Mr. Polite), who seems to be doing better. One other patient I typically visit had not been very responsive to me. I would go meet her (Miss Lovely smile) every time, but hardly got any response. I was told that she speaks incoherently and has difficulty responding. But this past meeting was different. I went up to her, just like any other time, to say hello. She had dinner on the table but was not eating it (which is always the case whenever I've seen). When someone came to take the food away, she signaled to stop them. She mumbled something that I couldn't understand. I asked again and this time it was a little louder so I could understand. She said that he/she is afraid of killing someone. I tried to comfort the fear and was holding her right hand. Just then, she brought her left hand to get a firm grip on my hand. I thought that was amazing. Not only was she being more responsive, but was also proactive in approaching to hold my hand. She started mumbling again, but I couldn't understand. It seemed that she was sad and just wanted someone to sit and listen to her. At one point, I thought I saw her eyes getting wet too. I just sat there, holding her hand and letting her keep a tight grip on mine. I asked if she wanted me to help eat dinner. She didn't respond, but I still thought I will try. Surprisingly, she allowed me to feed dinner (and this has never happened before!). When she had enough food, she was responsive enough to signal me to switch to dessert/water. I was really happy to see a good response. After dinner, it felt she just wanted me to hold her hand and sit right beside her. I tried to test it by releasing the grip on my hand to see if she tries to hold it back again. And she did, she wanted me to stay! I stayed with her for a while and then left.
I'm not sure if this response was just one time, or she will continue to respond well or not. But, I saw it was a positive sign.
I have already made 3 visits to the hospice... I try to visit once every week. The first 2 went by without any significant event. I went there, chatted with my assigned patients and left. It was casual, very very casual.
There is one patient who is very, very responsive to volunteers. I always have a great conversation with him (Mr. Polite), who seems to be doing better. One other patient I typically visit had not been very responsive to me. I would go meet her (Miss Lovely smile) every time, but hardly got any response. I was told that she speaks incoherently and has difficulty responding. But this past meeting was different. I went up to her, just like any other time, to say hello. She had dinner on the table but was not eating it (which is always the case whenever I've seen). When someone came to take the food away, she signaled to stop them. She mumbled something that I couldn't understand. I asked again and this time it was a little louder so I could understand. She said that he/she is afraid of killing someone. I tried to comfort the fear and was holding her right hand. Just then, she brought her left hand to get a firm grip on my hand. I thought that was amazing. Not only was she being more responsive, but was also proactive in approaching to hold my hand. She started mumbling again, but I couldn't understand. It seemed that she was sad and just wanted someone to sit and listen to her. At one point, I thought I saw her eyes getting wet too. I just sat there, holding her hand and letting her keep a tight grip on mine. I asked if she wanted me to help eat dinner. She didn't respond, but I still thought I will try. Surprisingly, she allowed me to feed dinner (and this has never happened before!). When she had enough food, she was responsive enough to signal me to switch to dessert/water. I was really happy to see a good response. After dinner, it felt she just wanted me to hold her hand and sit right beside her. I tried to test it by releasing the grip on my hand to see if she tries to hold it back again. And she did, she wanted me to stay! I stayed with her for a while and then left.
I'm not sure if this response was just one time, or she will continue to respond well or not. But, I saw it was a positive sign.
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