Volunteering at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse
Holding a hand.
Listening.
Just being there.
Spending time with patients at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse means a great deal to both patients and volunteer Sharon Civa (shown with patient Miriam Colbert).
Sharon Civa, MBA, has found that the smallest acts of kindness can have the greatest impact on patients in Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse. But she has found that helping these patients has had a great impact on her as well.
Civa, Entity Information officer, has worked for Penn Home Care and Hospice (on the technology side) for 13 years, but it wasn’t until a close friend became ill and needed hospice care that she truly understood what it involved. “I watched the staff when I visited and wondered, ‘How can they do this day in and day out and not be depressed?’” she said. But, as she discovered – from watching and in her volunteer work – “helping the patient on this journey brings happiness.”
Since that time, after completing 16 hours of core training, Civa has volunteered at Rittenhouse hospice on a regular basis. She doesn’t come with a specific agenda; mostly she lets the patient take the lead. “Sometimes just holding someone’s hand is enough, or I’ll read to them … or pray,” she said. “I’m learning how to listen better.”
She often visits patients who don’t have anyone else coming to see them. “I always ask the nurse or chaplain, ‘Who needs a visit?’”
Memories of the patients she’s visited remain with her. There was the woman who had just arrived on the unit and was scared. “I stayed with her for two hours. She just needed someone to sit with her,” Civa said.
Then there was a patient’s son who asked that she sit with his mom for 15 minutes when he had to leave the room. When Civa returned the next week, he remembered her name and introduced her to to his family.
“I get a lot of letters from family after the patient has passed. They often single out people they remember, and many times it’s the volunteer,” Civa said. “Where else can you make an impact like that? That’s what makes me leave with a smile.”
Be a Volunteer and Make a Difference
Do you have a few extra hours that you would like to spend helping others? Penn Wissahickon Hospice welcomes new volunteers who can make a difference in the lives of its patients and their families. Each volunteers receives the necessary training and tools to join the hospice team -- both in the community and at the inpatient facility at Penn Medicine Rittenhouse.
For more information, please contact ellen.inglesby-deering@uphs.upenn.edu or call 610-617-2442.
