HOSPICE STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
First Row (sitting left to right): volunteer Gary Walker; volunteer Stanley Taylor; volunteer Norman Carte; and volunteer Diane Schroeder Back Row (sitting left to right): Eric Bowman, hospice chaplain; Holly Isom, hospice manager; Tammy McCall, hospice MSW; and Greg Yount, former hospice chaplain/volunteer coordinator
“”
“I remember the first time I got really upset about him being so sick ... I called the social worker and she said, ‘I’m coming over. I’ll be right there.’ ... It was about him, but it was also about me.” - Beatrice Butler
supplies, things like that — which allows people to spend more quality time with their family members. On top of that, spir- itually speaking, most of them can’t attend church; lots of times it’s been years, may- be. So, we bring that into the home too.” Bowman, who has been a chaplain with hospice for the past two years, also serves as its bereavement coordinator and manages the organization’s We Honor Vets program. He’s also in charge of volunteer recruitment and management. Volunteers are a key part of ministering and with such a wide service area, he’s always on the hunt for more car- ing individuals to serve families. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to help somebody at a time when people really are hurting and they could use a little sup- port,” said Diane Schroeder, who has been
a volunteer with Ozarks Healthcare At Home: Hospice for 30 years. “I’m just nat- urally a giver kind of person, and this was something that I really felt was an import- ant thing to be able to do. I have met some really interesting people that I normally would have never gotten to know.” Schroeder, a former teacher, said hos- pice volunteers are often hard to come by due to the public’s aversion to death and dying. She said the satisfaction of serv- ing people who are facing the inevitable brings her abundant joy and satisfaction. “Apparently, a lot of people say they
couldn’t be a hospice volunteer because they couldn’t stand to be with somebody when they died,” she said. “In my experience over 30 years, I have never been with someone who actually died while I was there.
“I am mostly sitting with people. I
sometimes read to them. I like to hold their hand because it’s important to have physical touch. All you need is to be will- ing to listen and encourage someone, and that includes caregivers. They often have a very difficult role, and they may be ignored a little. They’re grieving and they’re often physically tired. Being able to say something positive to them is re- ally important.” Beatrice Butler agreed. As one who’s re- cently walked this path alongside a loved one, she said the smallest kindness can make all the difference. “Hospice was there when I needed
them,” she said. “And they were also there when I didn’t even know I needed them, but I did.”
FALL/WINTER 2022 | INSIGHT | 31
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