Volunteers needed to write memoirs

 

By Angela Fichera

C & G Staff Writer

     It is a gift that families will cherish for years after the death of a loved one: a life story, shared with a writer during someone’s last days. That is the idea behind a new volunteer program called “Life Review.”

     This legacy program, offered through the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Michigan’s hospice program, has been modeled after successful programs at the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, Mid-Michigan Hospice in Midland and Sparrow Hospital’s hospice program in Lansing.

     The project will use volunteers to document a lifetime of memories in a leather binder for patients to give their loved ones.

     “Our lives are full of stories that become cherished memories for our family and friends,” said Cindy Balliet, VNA of Southeast Michigan Hospice volunteer services coordinator. “We are excited to offer our patients this opportunity to reflect and share their life experiences. The review will serve to anchor memories for many years to follow.”

     Chris Henning, a volunteer writer for Sparrow Hospital’s hospice program, helped to come up with the program, titled “Tuesdays Life Stories,” about three years ago. The program now has around 20 volunteer writers.

     “It was shortly after Mitch Albom’s ‘Tuesdays with Morrie,’” said Henning. “It was such an amazing gift that Mitch gave to Morrie but also that Morrie gave to Mitch.”

     Henning remembers the first memoir she wrote. It was for a woman in her 50s who was struggling with lung cancer.

     It was around Christmas when the woman was admitted to hospice care and she wanted to give all six of her children a special gift, said Henning.

     “I went in and sat by her bedside and just talked to her about her life,” said Henning. “It is such an amazing experience for a writer, because these people don’t have much time left and the fact that they share an hour of that time and trust you with such intimate information about their lives is a true honor.”

     Because timing is so critical with hospice patients, as they are often admitted in the last days of their lives, volunteer writers must work quickly, said Balliet.

     Henning said the training that Sparrow Hospital’s program offers its volunteer writers consists of aspects pulled from the basic hospice volunteer training.

     “They pull out specific components from that training that might aid a writer, including listening skills,” said Henning. “We’d really like this program to grow and expand to other hospice programs because it is so low-cost and it is a tremendous gift to both the patients and families, as well as the volunteer writers.”

     To be successful, the VNA of Southeast Michigan’s hospice program needs volunteers, 18 and older, to interview patients, document their stories and create a written or pictorial memoir. 

     Volunteer training is free and will be provided. Sessions are scheduled to begin next month. Those interested must RSVP by March 1.

     For further information or to RSVP for training, call Balliet at (248) 967-8361 or visit the Web site www.vna.org.

     You can reach Angela Fichera at afichera@candgnews.com