Perhaps the family is too far away. Perhaps they’ve already said their goodbyes and gone home. Or perhaps there’s no one at all in the life of a dying patient. That’s when a volunteer from No One Dies Alone (NODA) steps in.
Since 2013, this national program has made a difference for patients, families and staff at Hartford Hospital. NODA volunteers will sit, talk, read or listen to a patient at the end of life. Sometimes they will just hold hands. The important thing is, the program lives up to its name: no one dies alone.
NODA volunteer Richard M. Quinlan of Manchester says the compassion his parents instilled in him was one motivation for joining the program. “Even though the majority of the patients may not seem to be aware of the volunteer’s presence, we don’t know for sure. So I try to be there for them, to be of some small comfort.”
Providing that one final human connection … it’s one more way people donate their love through Hartford HealthCare Giving.
With your gift, you help make sure compassion is always at hand.
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