Volunteer Spotlight: Sherry Szkotnicki

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Name: Sherry Szkotnicki

How long have you been a volunteer?
11 years this spring.

What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer?
Patient care in the Care Center.

What made you decide to become a volunteer?
We were taking care of my parents at home. My mother had dementia, didn’t really know what was going on. And my father was taking care of her, and he was pretty close behind her. At a time when my sister, brother, and I were on our last nerve we put my dad in hospice, almost 12 years ago, and the people that came [from Angela Hospice] gave us courage, and comfort, and just the strength to continue on. Two weeks later my dad passed away. Then about five months later my mom went into hospice in a nursing home, and she passed away in November of that same year.

It was such an overwhelming experience…having hospice, you just feel you want to do something to give something back, and that’s why I do it.

Sherry works in Wing A in the Angela Hospice Care Center.
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
Talking with the residents…and their perspective. I’m always amazed at their humility. Just very happy people. You don’t really find many angry people at that time. It’s just a blessing to be able to visit with them and talk with them.

What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering?
My favorite story was a lady who was a patient in the old Care Center. I would do her hair and we would pray. She was a beautiful person and I remember her often.

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