Death, like everything in America, has been radically individualized by urbanization, technology, and our penchant for migration. Parents live far from children, or simply outlive them. Modernity has robbed many of us of the comforts of family and home when it comes time to die.
That's why the move toward hospices is one of the most hopeful things I've seen in a long time. I was able to volunteer in an AIDS hospice in the States, and it was a wonderful example of community in action -- totally privately funded, and manned by members of the local community.
The program served anyone whose prognosis gave them less than six months to live. The hospice enabled them to live as fully as they could and to die with a hand to hold.
Christians are called to minister to the sick and to bind up the broken hearted. Hospices are a great place to put this call into action.
To find opportunities to serve, check out this extensive list of Hospice Links.
Posted by Discoshaman at février 1, 2005 12:51 AM | TrackBack
I came across this interesting thought about dying that made me think of hospice care and this thread:
Even in the most uncomplicated and easy birth, there are moments where one realizes just how close she is to the divide between life and death. Men and women both live out the consequences of original sin with sorrow and toil in their daily lives. One is not superior to the other.
A few of my midwife friends have also done hospice work. They all tell me there is an amazing similarity between preparing someone to give birth and/or to die well.
From Fructus Ventris
Posted by: The Duchess at février 1, 2005 01:33 PMDisco, reading your post brought back memories from the 1980's when I first heard the term hospice - I worked for and met people who had worked in a hospice for people stricken with AIDs. "The rage years" as I call it. The stories I heard were devasting, the numbers of dead each week staggering, the work emotionally draining. And so I wondered why they did it? Because it was so rewarding. My understanding deepened after I read Tuesdays with Morrie.
Posted by: Hello at février 1, 2005 04:41 PM