Show Continued from page 13 good moral support You can call somebody and they respond They care and they will come" Louise admits she doesn’t use Hospice as much as she could "I’m so independent" she said But a new volunteer and new friend Darlene Pitcher of Wellsville visits with Wally once a month while Louise plays pinochle with friends “She'd come more if I'd let her" Louise said Hospice for them has helped smooth the rough edges “It gets kind of lonesome when there’s just two of you Your world gets so small" Through Hospice they’ve met so many people they now warmly call “friends" As a caregiver and using skills she learned from Hospice volunteers Louise begins her day at the crack of dawn — 5:30 She gives Wally his medication which helps his body to begin functioning then takes a morning walk When she returns home she helps Wally shower and dress “Wally could probably do it but it would take him all morning" Louise said her wit while facing adversity clearly evident Before breakfast Louise wraps a towel around Wally's shoulders applies shaving cream and gives him a smooth shave After all the morning’s rituals of preparing for the day a van picks Wally up and takes him to the Adult Day Center at Sunshine Terrace He spends the day under the care of the center while Louise works as a secretary at the Logan Regional Hospital "Really" she said with a chuckle “he’s there to supervise all those women at the day care center” At the end of the day Louise picks Wally up and they spend their evenings at home Louise works in the garden or runs short errands while Wally is home watching TV She feels comfortable alerting their neighbors knowing she can rely on them "He’s happy to stay home" she said But they still go for walks together — she pushing his wheelchair — and still go on short trips occasionally and visit family and friends Their most recent volunteer and d friend Darlene brings a brilliant smile to Wally's face She met the couple just three months ago and already the rapport between them is evident Darlene’s reason for her commitment to Hospice is very personal Helping others who are facing a terminal illness is important to her because at the age of 19 new-foun- o Wally and Louise Budge of Logan are just two of many people whose lives have been enriched by the help and friendship provided by Hospice of Cache Valley With the aid of Hospice the couple have learned how to face the challenges of Wally's disease and to make their lives as fulfilling as possible Hospice philosophy is that the end of life which everyone eventually faces need not be a frightening painful and lonely time but can be experienced richly in an atof love and concern Through mosphere this philosophy Hospice provides the means of enhancing the lives of terminally ill lives people and the caregivers Text: Debby Darby Photos: Audrey Shehyn in their The Herald Journal Cache Sunday September 4 1988— Page 15 As someone who has experienced the she was diagnosed 3S having Hodgkin's trauma of facing a serious disease she’s disease She was lucky It wasn’t terminal gained empathy for those going through And a man she’ll never forget helped her the same feelings She feels she’s more aware of the "feelings and frustrations” through that most traumatic period of her life He gave her support He talked to her that people with terminal diseases go He was there through “People can say it’s all right but “He talked to me when I had it — even they have to go through it before they can really comprehend” though it wasn’t terminal — and it helped me" she said recalling her feelings of Serving as a Hospice volunteer has been fear at the time “I guess I was one of the rewarding for Darlene She’s gained new friends and she's repaying a favor that lucky ones He helped me to deal with it was done for her just a few short years because it’s not a fun thing to deal with" She explained how life became ago “Louise is very independent" Darlene overwhelming “I quit college went home said “I can be her friend that's all I can I just feel like it’s helped me a lot do It's done more for me (than for them)” Without caring volunteers like Darlene an organization like Hospice would be d to stay in existence “The fact that they care gives you an idea of their character" said Davis “I have gained such a profound respect for volunteers And volunteers themselves have such respect for those people hard-presse- (experiencing death) "Because of the sensitivity of the subject of death it takes a special kind of person to volunteer for Hospice” Davis said “These people volunteer because they The integrity of the program is so care touching” “Volunteers come to us with a desire to help and we supply the training” n said Volunteers are always welcome she said Hospice is now in the midst of a volunteer recruitment campaign "We encourage volunteers from all walks of life and we integrate particular skills of the volunteers with Hospice families" Davis said "We look at the strengths of Kerr-Hanse- and had chemo (and) radiation You really think you're going to die" she said “Even though there's a high cure rate you still do" Darlene was in Idaho at the time and didn't know an organization such as Hospice existed but her doctor suggested she talk to a man who once had the disease Now six years later she's repaying the favor given to her “He talked me through it" she said recalling the help he had given her “So I felt like I wanted to help someone I thought about doing this for three years but I had to be emotionally ready first” After giving herself time to adjust and evaluate her fife Darlene became a Hospice volunteer She is now there for Wally and Louise d for an volunters and each is individual patient in mind" Training sessions are held twice a year where beginning volunteers learn about the Hospice philosophy the needs and feelings of the terminally ill basic nursing skills nutrition financial and legal matters and funeral preparations Davis said Volunteers meet monthly for training to keep abreast of the latest services Donald Dee Buttars of Logan is another person whose life has been enriched by Hospice He shared his life with his wife Letha Peterson Buttars for 50 years She died last September after battling lung cancer hand-picke- Continued on page IS |