The Gift of Presence

Mary’s journey with hospice began over 20 years ago when her mother arrived at the final chapter of her life. Hospice came alongside her family and provided comfort. “After Mom passed, my connection grew when I responded to an ad for hospice volunteers in the Ashland Daily Press,” Mary recalls. She volunteered with Regional Hospice for three years before she and husband, Jim, moved to the Twin Cities.

Meeting Dr. Krista Hoiland, medical director for Optage Hospice, four years ago at the Lino Lakes YMCA connected Mary with Optage Hospice. “We would see each other a lot at the Y and we struck up conversations while working out. She spoke so highly of the program and encouraged me to consider volunteering,” Mary says.

“I’ve learned that being present with clients is a true gift,” she continues. “Gently getting to know clients and observing how I can interact with them, that informs how my visits flow.” Mary volunteered with one client for 18 months and accompanied her to meals, chair exercise classes and piano concerts. “She loved to watch Little House on the Prairie, so I often visited when the show was on,” Mary says. “We would watch and talk about the characters. Just being physically present makes a difference for clients.”

The Covid pandemic interrupted in-person visits in 2020, but Mary continued to share her gifts with clients. Visual arts and music are also among Mary’s interests and she was able to share some of her watercolor and pastel creations with clients. “When visits were suspended, I began making greeting cards from my animal and floral paintings,” she says. “Sometimes we think that mail is just a small thing, but when you are older and especially during Covid, mail became a significant day brightener for clients.”

A retired software developer, Mary knows a thing or two about working with computers. The pandemic created new work tasks for Optage Hospice home office employees, so Mary stepped in and assisted where she could with computer work. She was able to continue logging her hours remotely, which helped the program maintain some of their volunteer requirements for Medicare reimbursement.

In addition to sharing her time, Mary and Jim are also financial donors to Optage Hospice. “We worked on our estate plans in 2020 and wanted to make gifts to nonprofits where we have personal connections and Optage Hospice is among them,“ Mary notes. She credits the team approach for how Optage Hospice serves clients. Nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides and volunteers connect to support clients and their families.

Mary offers this to those considering volunteering for Optage Hospice, “It’s about being a friend to an older person. Visiting with them and learning about their life. It will be meaningful to clients, their families and to you.”