A Portal to Profound

A Portal to Profound

by | Nov 29, 2024 | Caregiving, Volunteering

By Ellen Buckmaster, Hospice Austin Volunteer When I tell people I’m a hospice volunteer, I almost always get something like, “Oh good for you. I could never do that,” as if my efforts are heroic or out of the ordinary. It’s an interesting and perhaps telling...
Volunteering at the end of days

Volunteering at the end of days

by | 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...
Paying Homage

Paying Homage

by | Apr 9, 2019 | Being Present, Caregiving, Hospice, Volunteering

I showed up for my afternoon shift at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House where my mother-in-law died more than 15 years ago. The walkway is made of bricks. Many of them contain names and life dates of people who had died at the hospice. Recent rains had caused dirt,...
A Rookie Volunteer

A Rookie Volunteer

by | Nov 19, 2018 | Volunteering

Serving as a Hospice Austin volunteer for just the past 9 months, I have already witnessed nurses, chaplains, department coordinators, nursing assistants, case managers, social workers and other volunteers skillfully and effectively serving the needs of others, always...