ABSTRACT
Elissa Foster, the author reiterates that the concepts of idealism, criticism, and realism describe general shifts in the volunteer's perspectives over time rather than strict developmental stages; however, she deliberately presented these three aspects of the volunteer's stories in terms of how they corresponded to the three intervals of the research project. For the purposes of aesthetic balance and conceptual simplicity, Elissa refer to these three aspects of the volunteer experience as idealism, criticism, and realism. Hospice volunteers negotiate their patient's physical dying so they can respond affirmatively to the pain of their social death, and establish a relationship that often transcends the definition of dying to which hospice is expected to adhere. Communication is central to the relationship between hospice volunteers and patients. The relationships between volunteers and patients emerged over time as they participated in mundane activities and allowed magical moments of connection to appear spontaneously in the in between.
