Sharing the Gift of Presence

Posted on Thursday October 3, 2024 in Happiness Project

Joel Westermeyer Makes Time for Patients in End-of-Life Care

Presence and the art of “just being there.” That is something Joel Westermeyer has learned about and embraced since becoming a volunteer with Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care in Cincinnati more than 11 years ago.

Joel is a direct care volunteer which means he spends time visiting with patients in end-of-life care one-on-one where they live. Currently, Wednesday mornings starting at 9:30 a.m. for up to three and a half hours is when Joel volunteers visiting with a Crossroads patient.

According to Joel, he “spends time with time” and it’s “up to the patient” what that might include. Some examples Joel shared were playing games like Yahtzee, reading a book aloud or just having quiet conversations.

Making a Difference in Person

Lately he’s been talking a lot with his patient Mary who lives in an assisted living facility. It turns out they both grew up in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati where Joel was the son of a local pastor.

While his brother also became a pastor and his sister became a nurse, Joel’s professional career was in IT at a large insurance company. After taking a lucrative early retirement package, Joel reflected on his 33-year career and felt in retirement that he wanted to make a direct difference in people’s lives.

Since he began volunteering at the end of 2012, the in-person rewards have been substantial. “I have learned something from each patient, of course some more than others,” Joel said. That number of patients is now 22.

Joel admits he was apprehensive when he first got started. “You’re not sure you’re going to have anything in common” with the patient, he said. Joel’s advice for individuals considering volunteering in hospice, “you have to be comfortable with silence,” he said. You are giving “the gift of presence” and the ability to “bring a little of the outside world” inside for patients.