ABSTRACT
The hospice movement emerged in the late 1960s in the United Kingdom as an alternative to high-tech interventions at the end of life. Hospice is for dying patients who are forgoing curative medical care in favor of comfort and dignity at the end of life. The hospice approach provides dying patients with pain control and palliation, nursing care, occupational or physical therapy, and emotional and spiritual support. Many patients are uncomfortable sharing their secrets, apprehensions, and regrets with a minister, priest, or rabbi, because they fear that they will be judged. Many patients do not want to admit to a man or woman of God that they are not sure whether they believe in God. This is where hospice volunteers can provide a very unique and important service for dying patients and their families. The author has found that serving as a hospice volunteer is uplifting, invigorating, and rewarding.
