by admin | Dec 6, 2023 | Uncategorized
Austin Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Travis Maher spent his life serving others – 23 years with the Austin Fire Department, 25 years with the Wimberley Fire Rescue, 21 years as a member of Texas A&M Task Force 1, and task force leader of the TX-TF1 Water Rescue Team....
by admin | Oct 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
After losing my husband to cancer, I didn’t find much to feel grateful about. He had died way too early – we were supposed to grow old together. With catastrophic loss, of course, comes catastrophic grief. I felt cleaved in two, invisibly hemorrhaging pain, fear,...
by admin | Sep 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
Having re-retired after teaching English for a year at a local high school, I am trying to fill my time with activities that keep me busy, healthy, and productive. One of those things is a return to volunteering at a hospice, working with the sick, the dying, and...
by admin | Aug 31, 2023 | Uncategorized
Hospice Austin recently lost two beloved employees, Maintenance Coordinator Mark Roeder, and Certified Nurse Assistant Jack Harrison. They both died unexpectedly, leaving the rest of us – usually so accustomed to death – feeling unmoored. Mark was with us a little...
by admin | Jul 14, 2023 | Uncategorized
St. David’s Foundation commissioned a statewide survey to better understand Texans’ experiences, end-of-life priorities, and barriers around end-of-life care. The study found that most Texans share end-of-life preferences, such as wanting to die at home and avoiding...
by admin | Jun 22, 2023 | Uncategorized
This summer was my 26th time to attend Camp Braveheart. Over the years I’ve played many roles: director, small group facilitator, floater, trouble shooter, home-sickness whisperer. Every year there is a moment at camp that pulls my heart so wide open I can barely...
by admin | May 25, 2023 | Uncategorized
Supporting a family member, friend, or client with a serious illness can be a daunting, painful, brutal, unrewarding task for anyone. It can also be one of the most connective, loving, engaging, and life-changing opportunities a person can experience. The difference...
by admin | Apr 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
When Matt Weiss had a heart attack, he didn’t even know it. He was in his 40s, in great shape, worked out every day, rarely even ate fast food. He didn’t go to the doctor, because he didn’t have insurance. A couple of months later, his feet – and shortly later his...
by admin | Mar 21, 2023 | Uncategorized
Marion Vise, who has volunteered with Hospice Austin for 40 years, recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas & New Mexico Hospice Organization. Marion began volunteering for Hospice Austin in 1983, just two years after Hospice Austin served...
by admin | Feb 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
When the sun goes down, it gets scary for families of patients on hospice care, according to Hospice Austin On-Call Team Leader Aimee Alexander. Symptoms seem to get worse. People are tired and upset. The on-call staff working nights and weekends have to be prepared...
