Hospice Offers St. Charles Woman Chance to Help Others

After consoling bereaved community members and spreading the word about Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice for six years, Gerri Markel of St. Charles wants to do even more to assist those seeking help through the Geneva-based organization.

Markel is now in training for the hospice's Hands of Hope program in which she will provide emotional support for community members undergoing chemotherapy at area medical centers. As a cancer survivor who has lost a sister to a prolonged illness, she understands the benefits of supportive companionship.

"I get quite a bit of satisfaction out of being there as a listener, to be there to hold someone's hand," Markel said. "I think our society sometimes wants you to move on after you lose a loved one and it's hard for us to talk about death and it's hard for family members to do that."

Markel is among 400 active volunteers who assist FVVH, said Elise C. Wall, FVVH manager of volunteer services. Markel is among the volunteers who have worked with both the Bereavement One-on-One and Ambassadors program, in which she speaks to local community groups and others about the hospice's mission. FVVH serves all of Kane and Kendall counties, as well as portions of Cook, DuPage and McHenry counties.

Wall said Markel is an asset to the organization for various reasons.

"She's very gentle, accepting, non-judgmental, very compassionate and she believes in the hospice philosophy," Wall said.

Markel has assisted four people in the Bereavement One-on-One program, which offers emotional support through face-to-face meetings with individuals for up to 18 months after a loved one has died.

"The idea is to journey with that person and to be a companion through the first anniversary of the death, the birthday, Christmas and the first Thanksgiving," Markel said. "As a volunteer, you're outside of the family and friends who sometimes want you to move on after a while, as if the person you lost didn't really exist. But the loved one did exist to the person you're helping. You can be objective about the tears and be a companion."

Wall said FVVH does not offer medical assistance and unlike Medicaid-supported hospices, clients do not have to abandon curative measures.

Those wishing to volunteer start with a conversation with Wall and then undergo training appropriate to the ways in which they want to help. Wall said FVVH always needs volunteer who do not necessarily wish to work directly with ill clients or their loved ones.

"It's not all direct service," Wall said. "Anyone who wants to help out can find a niche."

Those who do wish to work directly with ill clients or their loved ones should be "compassionate, communicators and good listeners and be comfortable talking about death and dying," Wall said. "We have everyone volunteering, including people who worked in health care, educators, mental health care, women who have not worked outside the home."

Markel said compassionate listening skills are vital for those considering volunteering to help the ill or bereaved through FVVH.

"It's not your agenda, it's theirs," Markel said. "Sometimes you want to make it all better and that's not our job. We're supposed to be there for their journey...You get a lot more back than you give by volunteering with hospice. The benefits to you are a lot more than the time you have spent."

For more information about Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice, visit www.fvvh.org.