Blessings abound for hospice workers, volunteers say
Central Homecare and Hospice seeks volunteers within Marion County
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Before they could say goodbye last week outside Parkside Homes, one thing was left: hugs all around.
"Hospice people are hugging people," explained Carole Spohn as she gave Laverna and Don Parrish each a hug.
Ordinarily, in the course of everyday life, Spohn and the Parrishes might not even know each other. But through an organization called Central Homecare and Hospice, they have a very special bond.
The Parrishes were with Spohn's father when he died.
All three Marion County residents — Spohn of rural Tampa and the Parrishes of rural Burns — are volunteers with Central Homecare and Hospice.
Hospice volunteers can fill many roles, but they are essentially there to assist the families of terminally ill people. That assistance can take many forms, from sitting and reading with the patient to giving the caregiver a few hours' break to go shopping.
No matter how the task changes, one thing stays the same, according to Hospice volunteers: You receive far more than you give.
Right now, Central Homecare and Hospice is seeking volunteers for Marion County. It will be offering training courses at the Marion Senior Center beginning Saturday, Oct. 12.
Carole Spohn served as a volunteer with Central for about five years before she asked the organization to help her own family.
Spohn started hospice training in 1993 and was able to volunteer until 1998. That's when her own parents became ill and needed her help.
Spohn's mother passed away in 2000, and shortly afterward her mother-in-law became ill with congestive heart failure.
In May of this year, Spohn's father, Elmer Ettridge, also became gravely ill due to congestive heart failure and diabetes complications. As his illness got more serious, Spohn decided to bring him to Parkside Homes, where she works.
That's something she had never really thought about before, she said.
"I hadn't even thought about his being at Parkside," Spohn said.
After two weeks at Parkside, Ettridge got worse and had to be transferred to the Hillsboro Community Medical Center. A week later, he was able to return to the nursing home, but Spohn knew her dad's time was limited. She was staying with him day and night.
She decided to call the hospice.
Don and Laverna Parrish got a phone call from the hospice on the morning of Friday, June 28. The couple has been volunteering with hospice since February of this year.
They arrived at Parkside around 2 p.m. to allow Spohn to go home for a few hours. It was comforting to know that her dad wasn't alone, she said.
Ettridge died a few hours later, with Don Parrish by his side.
Parrish will never forget how Ettridge sat up, opened his eyes, and his face seemed to glow. Then he was gone.
"I knew that he had passed away in peace," Parrish said.
Spohn was grateful that her dad wasn't suffering anymore.
"The last three weeks were a real struggle for him," she said.
Knowing that the Parrishes were with her father when he died was a comfort to her. Caregivers are normally reluctant to leave their loved one's side — they think they can do it all, Spohn said.
But a hospice worker can provide a much-needed break for that caregiver. They can sit with the patient and read to them or just wash the dishes.
Hospice workers sometimes spend hours or weeks with a particular individual. Sometimes that patient has many family members around to help, and sometimes the patient has no one, Parrish said.
But when family members are there, the hospice worker forms a deep bond with them, Laverna Parrish said — even if you only spend a few hours with person, as in the case of Spohn's father.
"You just feel that bond with anyone who's helped a loved one," Spohn said.
Hospice normally serves people that have six months or less to live. But the common misconception is that hospice organizations only serve people with cancer.
That's not the case, Spohn said. Hospice workers can be called out for any kind of terminal illness, including Alzheimer's Disease.
Hospice volunteer training sessions will be held on two Saturdays and two Tuesdays, according to Donna Becker, volunteer coordinator with Central.
On the Saturdays, Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, sessions run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. On the Tuesdays, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, sessions run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. They're all held at the Marion Senior Center on South Third Street.
If a volunteer had to miss one session, he or she could make it up later, Becker said.
Pre-registration is required for the classes.
Central Homecare and Hospice is the only non-profit hospice serving the area, Becker said. It originally began in Marion County, and in 1994 merged with another organization to begin serving Harvey and McPherson counties also. Central's offices are located in Newton.
Central currently has 60 volunteers serving the three-county area, but only one-third of them are actually working with patients, Becker said. More volunteers are needed to help patients.
Volunteers can be almost any age, starting at 17. Volunteering can be structured around the person's work or school schedule, Becker said.
For more information about becoming a hospice volunteer or to register for training classes, contact Becker at 1-800-301-9499 or (316) 283-8220.
