THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511190024
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Janelle La Bouve
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
When Teri L. Watson, 31, signed up for a seminar on hospice care to earn extra credit for a Tidewater Community College psychology class, she had not expected the experience to lead to a long-term commitment.
But for the past year, she has been a volunteer with a hospice program, providing care to the terminally ill. She is one of 29 members of Hospice Volunteers of the Portsmouth Area, which serves families in Western Branch, Deep Creek, northern Suffolk and all of Portsmouth.
``I signed up right on the spot,'' said Watson, who plans to enter the nursing program at DePaul Medical Center.
``The death of a patient must be the hardest thing a nurse has to deal with,'' she said. ``I thought I should become familiar with dying before I go into nursing.
``Also, I wanted to do hands on, one-on-one volunteer work,'' she said. ``I wanted to be more personally involved than just handing out food.''
Hospice care is a team effort, involving a volunteer, a registered nurse, a social worker and a certified nursing assistant, who provide a variety of services.
``It can be anywhere from reading to the patient, talking with family members or providing a shoulder to lean on,'' she said. ``We may go through photo albums with the patient or family members who want to show you what the patient was like before he became ill.''
Volunteers may accompany a patient to the doctor, do the grocery shopping or pick up prescriptions.
``It's like giving the caregiver or patient another set of eyes and hands,'' she said, adding that families chose hospice care so the patient can spend his or her remaining time at home.
But having a terminally ill patient in the home is rough for primary caregivers.
``They shoulder most of the responsibility,'' she said. ``It tears on them mentally and physically. ``A hospice volunteer is there to help take some of that pressure off,'' she said. ``Once the caregiver is into the situation, they forget about themselves and sometimes neglect their own health.''
Watson admits that working with the hospice program has made her more aware of her own blessings.
``Life is short,'' she said. ``I am grateful for what I have, and I want to give back. I wouldn't have the husband that I have or the child that I have if caring people had not intervened.''
Recently, Watson was able to spend about 10 hours a week with a patient during the last month of his life.
``The bond between the patient and his wife was so strong,'' she said. ``When my husband and I get older, I hope our marriage will be like that. Right up to the very end, the patient's dignity was intact.
``People who are terminally ill want to control their remaining time,'' she added. ``Hospice helps the patient bring closure to anything that might make dying easier.
``I was not quite sure how I felt about death before,'' she said. ``Now I don't think of death as a bad thing but as a relief from pain and suffering.''
Dottie B. Reish, executive director of Hospice Volunteers of the Portsmouth Area, calls Watson is a self-starter.
``She anticipates a need and goes ahead and offers her assistance,'' Reish said. ``She takes the initiative to interact with the patient and the family and has a special intuition.''
Hospice Volunteers of the Portsmouth Area will also recognize Chesapeake residents Rhea Breakfield, Karen Collier, Wendy Goldsmith, Elizabeth Meyers, Grace Morrisette, Bob Morrisette and Linda Overheim.
Full name: Teri L. Watson
Hometown: Chesapeake
Fond childhood memories: ``My sister and I used to lie in bed and laugh about nothing. It was an every-night thing. Mom would come in and say, `Knock it off!' and we'd laugh even harder. We'd get the giggles and couldn't stop.''
Spouse: John
Children: Lacey
Occupation: Student
Hobbies: Going to yard sales
Last book read: ``Embraced by the Light''
Favorite movie: ``Nine Months''
Can't resist: Jewelry and shoes
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? ``To be a little bit taller.''
Favorite TV program: ``ER'' and ``Sisters''
Favorite way to spend a day: Shopping ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
by CNB