Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Guest Post by Eric Lindner ~ Author of Hospice Voices

I would like to welcome Eric Lindner to WV Stitcher .

Importance of Hospice volunteers:

Volunteers play such an important role in end-of-life caregiving. Although they are unpaid, most work 8-16 hours a month.   As for “companion caregivers” like me, the two most important services we provide are, as the name implies, companionship for the patient, and “relief” for the rest of the caregiving team: loved ones, nurses, etc.

Rewards of being a Hospice volunteer:

Volunteering with patients at the end-of-life has taught me so many lessons. They’ve taught me about time, how elastic it is and how much meaning and value can be wrung out of what is considered "so little" time. And they’ve taught me the value of simply being present. While bringing a patient a McDonald’s frappé or brownie from a local bakery is always welcomed, what means the most is the willingness to listen.  Everyone wants to feel needed, valued and loved.  I receive as at least as much from listening and being present (by witnessing courage, for instance) as I give.  There are always days when I think I’m too busy, yet after each visit I feel rejuvenated.

How and why I came to volunteer:

I became a hospice volunteer quite by accident. In February 2009, I was walking back from getting coffee in my hometown of Warrenton, Virginia, when I saw this tiny rather sketchy looking building with a sign that said, Hospice Support of Fauquier County. I’d been living in Warrenton for nearly twenty years and never knew it existed. For some reason, I decided to go inside and see what it was all about. Inside I met the Executive Director, Joy LeBaron, and she led me to an incredibly joyful, awe-inspiring new priority in my life. On my first visit as a volunteer, I met Bob Zimmerman. He had cancer and Alzheimer’s, but he spoke six languages and had served in the Peace Corps in Vietnam in the early days of the war. I was floored and humbled and knew I had to do this.

About Eric Lindner:
Eric Lindner is an attorney & entrepreneur. He has been a hospice companion caregiver since 2009. He divides his time between Warrenton, VA and Kauai, Hawaii.
Buy Hospice Voices:

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Oct. 6, 2013
Category: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Volunteerism, Hospice, Caregiver
Tour Dates: January, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 232 pages
As a part-time hospice volunteer, Eric Lindner provides companion care to dying strangers. They are chatterboxes and recluses, religious and irreligious, battered by cancer, congestive heart failure, Alzheimer s, old age. Some cling to life amazingly. Most pass as they expected.
In telling his story, Lindner reveals the thoughts, fears, and lessons of those living the ends of their lives in the care of others, having exhausted their medical options or ceased treatment for their illnesses. In each chapter, Lindner not only reveals the lessons of lives explored in their final days, but zeroes in on how working for hospice can be incredibly fulfilling.
As he s not a doctor, nurse, or professional social worker, just a volunteer lending a hand, offering a respite for other care providers, his charges often reveal more, and in more detail, to him than they do to those with whom they spend the majority of their time. They impart what they feel are life lessons as they reflect on their own lives and the prospect of their last days. Lindner captures it all in his lively storytelling.
Anyone who knows or loves someone working through end of life issues, living in hospice or other end of life facilities, or dealing with terminal or chronic illnesses, will find in these pages the wisdom of those who are working through their own end of life issues, tackling life s big questions, and boiling them down into lessons for anyone as they age or face illness. And those who may feel compelled to volunteer to serve as companions will find motivation, inspiration, and encouragement.


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1 comment:

Your wonderful comments make my day, thanks for dropping by!

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