‘Exploring the end of life creates opportunities to celebrate life’
Volunteer Services Supervisor Nathan and Hospice Volunteer Coordinators Brandi, Kirstin, Danielle, and Melissa celebrating Patient Team Care Day: an in-person event for volunteers to learn hands-on-skills to support patients.
PROVIDENCE HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE – To be with someone at their most vulnerable and ease their way: That is what the people of Providence do each day. And our hospice volunteers are shining examples of this. They make the end of life brighter for our patients and learn more about themselves in the process.
Learn more about hospice volunteering
- For more information, contact Nathan Buck, volunteer services supervisor.
- Contact the Providence Hospice Volunteer Program in Oregon at 971-990-8074 and/or ORHosVolProgram@providence.org.
Caring for patients at the end of their lives
Nate has been volunteering with hospice for six months. He recently switched careers and is going back to school to become a drug and alcohol counselor. “When you show up for other people without having an agenda and listen: that’s the most rewarding part of volunteering,” Nate says.
Nate became a hospice volunteer out of a strong desire to be of service. After years in the tech and advertising industry he wanted a change of pace. The loss of loved ones and bouts with grief motivated him to seek answers in volunteer work.
“Grief has been a big part of my life over the last 15 years,” Nate says. “I lost my close friend to lung cancer. I also lost my dog of 16 years. It was the deepest grief I had ever felt.”
Nate volunteers in vigil, sitting with patients at the end of their lives, as part of his volunteer commitment. He feels honored to be with them in their vulnerable moments.
“I remember the first patient I sat with near the end of their life," Nate says. “They asked me if I had done this a lot. They wanted me to tell them what they would be experiencing. I said: ‘This is the first time I’ve sat with someone. I am scared and confused, too. Let’s walk this path together.’"
Offering short-term relief to primary caregivers
Elizabeth began volunteering to be peaceful and present, with herself and others. "End of life is such an intimate, vulnerable time for people. I don't want to take that for granted,” she says.
Elizabeth works with the City of Portland and has been volunteering in hospice for a year.
Elizabeth volunteers in companionship care, providing short-term relief for primary caregivers. “It feels very meaningful to me when a family trusts me enough to be with their loved ones in a vulnerable moment,” she says.
Elizabeth recently went through a divorce. The grief motivated her to rethink her values. “I had experienced death before in my life," she says. "I didn't expect that my divorce would feel so much like a death.”
Elizabeth experienced some career burnout and loss after her separation. Her service as a hospice volunteer helped her ground herself and find purpose. “I got so focused on producing and doing and achieving,” Elizabeth says. “Volunteering with patients reminds me to be present so I don’t miss the beautiful moments in life.”
Helping people navigate grief
Training can provide a backbone for developing the values of a compassionate caregiver. Jane has been with hospice volunteering for 30 years. Drawn to the Mission like a moth to flame, she is as passionate about serving patients as she was when she started.
Jane began her post-graduate career in medical records. Self-described as “not-a-cubicle girl,” Jane found her passion in the skies. She started working as a flight attendant with United Airlines 46 years ago. She plans to retire with them in 2026.
Her passion for volunteering ignited after meeting a widower while living in Chicago. “I married him in 1981. We were living in Chicago at the time, and he had put together one of the first men’s grief groups in North Shore. Then I became involved in a women's group, and one of our first projects was on how children dealt with grief. It got the gears turning and made me curious about loss and grief,” Jane says.
Her experience in medical records and passion for social work gave her the strength to join the hospice volunteer team. Jane volunteers in bereavement services. She calls families who have lost loved ones to ease their way throughout the grieving process.
“Over the phone, I try to create a personal experience for our people. They end up sharing very heartfelt stories with me. They express their gratitude for our hospice program. I’m very honored that people can trust me over the phone with their personal stories,” Jane says.
Because of her unusual hours with United Airlines, Jane’s volunteer schedule needs to be flexible. The volunteer coordinator team helps Jane keep work/life balance at the forefront of her volunteering experience. “I’m usually home five days a week, then I’m off again for the next two weeks,” Jane says. “I’ll call up my coordinator Kirstin (Killen), and she’ll connect me with a patient through a secure site. We’ll set up a schedule so I can support them even if I'm in a different time zone. I am comfortable in my odd hours knowing that I'll be able to serve when I have time.”
Easing the way of our volunteers
It can be easy to lose yourself in the emotions that come with serving in hospice. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, Volunteer Services Supervisor Nathan lends a hand and eases your way.
Nathan supervises the volunteer coordinator team to provide patients and volunteers with the best care possible.
From an early age, Nathan was curious about serving the vulnerable at the end of their lives.
“I remember watching “Bambi” when I was a little kid and feeling mortified when Bambi's mother died,” he says. “It had a huge impact on me: the idea that my mother wasn't going to be with me someday.”
Now, Nathan offers others the opportunity to explore questions about death. Key initiatives in his role as supervisor include recruitment, retention, volunteer placements, compliance, and alignment with other states.
“People come to volunteer with us for so many reasons of their own,” Nathan says. “Oftentimes they’ve lost someone in their own lives. Sometimes, they just want to explore and have bigger questions about life and grief.”
Nathan and the volunteer coordinators recruit through tabling events, social media, and grassroot efforts. Oregon’s hospice volunteer program also offers coffee talks, which are hour-long information sessions for interested volunteers.
After the recruitment process, Nathan and the volunteer coordinators offer hands-on, Mission-oriented training, onboarding, and placement.
