Volunteer Spotlight: Lori Loos

Name: Lori Loos

How long have you been a volunteer? 
Seven years

What areas do you work in/what tasks do you do? 
Direct patient care in the Care Center. Her and her husband, Mike, also work the Tree of Life and have done the Walk of Remembrance since it began.

What made you decide to become a volunteer?
A number of years ago our family experienced losing some family members. They were not here at Angela Hospice, but when it was all done it was a little troubling for me and someone told me there was grief counseling here. So I came to that and it gave me an opportunity to talk through things with somebody. I was a little skeptical at first, I think as most people probably are, until I actually got here and looked forward to coming. So when I felt like I didn’t need to do that anymore I kind of still made that connection to Angela Hospice and decided that I wanted to go to the volunteer training.

What is your favorite part about volunteering?
I think working with the families and the feeling you get of maybe being helpful. Some nights are quiet. Sometimes I don’t feel like I’ve done much but you can’t always look at it that way. I think you always get something done just by being a presence sometimes. And just assisting the families and getting them what they need, and also assisting the nurses and staff who are often so busy. If I can be that go-between person or alleviate some of the pressure off of them by getting the family member or the patient what they need then I feel like I’m being helpful to them too.
 
I enjoy doing Tree of Life. My husband and I have done it for the last couple of years and we always sign up for as many sessions as they need. I enjoy that a lot because my husband and I always say everybody has a story. So if that person comes to the table and wants to make a donation, oftentimes it prompts them to talk about somebody or something that’s happened to them. It’s good to be able to just lend an ear, especially around the holidays. It doesn’t really matter how much time has passed, it’s still hard for people.

What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering?
A couple of things. I do enjoy that aspect of working at the Tree of Life because you know, it is around the holidays and everybody is thinking about somebody who’s not going to be there. I enjoy that aspect of volunteering in that regard, to just talk to people or let them tell their story.

Also, some of the patients on B-wing have some previous military experience and a couple months ago they started the We Honor Veterans program. There’s been family members in my family and my husband’s family that have been in the military, so it’s kind of nice sometimes when you’re looking for a way to begin a conversation and you notice their service memorabilia or their certificate. It kind of prompts them to be able to talk about it even if it was long ago. I enjoy listening to those stories because we kind of have a background too in our families.