Marion Keenan, President of Coastal Hospice, has something she wishes everyone knew about her organization. She knows that people often associate Hospice only with the idea that life is coming to it's end.

"While that's true, there is something else that is equally true," she insists, "and that is the life we have is to be celebrated. Hospice," she emphasizes, "is about living and it's about living fully."

Keenan can understand why people may not know that Hospice is about living. After all, Hospice is there to provide care for terminally ill patients.

Hospice enables people to spend their final days in familiar surroundings, often at home and often with loved ones nearby. However, those last months and days can, in Keenan's view be a remarkably special time, in fact, a gift.

"It's a time for growing and giving of ourselves, a time to share important things with our family members and people we love the most. We may not be growing up any more," she continues, "but we can grow deeper."

Her goal, and Hospice's goal as well, is to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. While Hospice workers affirm life, they regard death as a normal process. They don't try to prolong life, but neither do they seek to hasten death.

Most of the 450 patients a year who are admitted to Coastal Hospice have been diagnosed with end-of-life illnesses. Close to 75% of these are patients with cancer, and the remaining ones are suffering from such serious diseases as congestive heart failure, or end stage Alzheimers.

Since modern medicine cannot cure them, expensive high-tech treatments are neither necessary nor desirable. Instead, Hospice workers focus on palliative care, that is, making the patient comfortable.

The Hospice team that works to accomplish this may include a doctor, nurse, social worker, home health aide, volunteer, and clergyman. The team not only works with the patient, they also help the family cope.

Many of the Coastal Hospice staff and volunteers have been doing this work for a decade or more. "People stay with it," points out Keenan, "because of the personal reward you get from being of service."

She goes on to say that it's the kind of job where, at the end of each day, the person can know for sure that they really helped or comforted or made a difference in someone else's life. Even something as simple as giving a bed-bound patient a bath is important. "It's a loving thing to do," says Keenan.

Keenan believes that everyone who works or volunteers at Hospice does it because it's a chance to serve, whether they're in direct patient care or are remote from it. "It's a blessing to be able to do some kind of service work," she insists, and then goes on to say, "So many people are searching for meaning in their lives. The work that we do creates that meaning."

Keenan endorses a quote from Aristotle. "The only way to achieve true success is to find yourself in service to society."

Coastal Hospice is celebrating it's 20th year this year. Keenan is grateful for the 20 years of loyal support the community has given Hospice. If you would like to volunteer, Hospice needs people for direct patient care, for administrative support, or for fund-raising.

There's also a 30-hour introductory course for volunteers. It covers, among other things, communications skills for interacting with patients, techniques for making patients comfortable, and volunteer responsibilities. The next one will be in September.

Wish List:

Contributions towards family care giving and teaching materials ($10 could provide 50 safety pamphlets, or materials to leave in ten homes.)
Two cellular phones for the nurses
Patient supplies, such as blue pads and diapers
Voice mail system