Behind the wheel: A volunteer driver’s story
I volunteer for the special and very rewarding human connections I make as a Volunteer Driver with Dorothy Ley Hospice.
I think the best thing of being a Dorothy Ley Hospice volunteer driver for the day program is that you get to bring people with life limiting illnesses to their happy place.
I pick them up and I can see a happy anticipatory gleam on their faces. They know they are going to a safe place where they can talk about their situation if they want to and no one will judge them or come up with easy fixes, (like maybe you should pray more, or eat X). I have heard my day program pickups tell me that this is the only place where they can talk about dying and no one hushes them up.
Most of the people I have driven admit to me that the rides they get to and from the day program are the only times they get out except for medical visits or rushes to emergency.
The training I got for being a driver also has helped me a lot so that I know how to give tips to passengers as to how to get in and out of the car without twisting the body.
Every person I have picked up has a special place in my heart. Yes, in the fullness of time, they die or they move to a full care facility, but in the meantime, I have helped them get out to a safe and comforting place.
Each client is different and has shared their interests with me if they are so inclined. I have learned a lot about life, gardening, recipes, music, local history and even architecture on my driving jaunts.
By: Liza, Dorothy Ley Hospice Volunteer Driver
To learn more about volunteering with Dorothy Ley Hospice, visit dlhospice.org/volunteer or contact us at 416-626-0116 or volunteerservices@dlhospice.org.