Sharing the Journey

by Haynes, R. Tal

• ISBN13: 9781463649920
• ISBN10: 1463649924
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-22
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Summary

SHARING THE JOURNEY chronicles the growth of a major regional hospice - Hospice of the Piedmont in Charlottesville, Virginia - from its origins in the idealistic aspirations of a few dedicated individuals, through the difficult but exhilarating process of creating a viable organization, to the equally challenging process of sustaining and developing it. Haynes sets the story of Hospice of the Piedmont firmly within the broader context of the birth of the hospice movement, beginning with the first hospice established by Dame Cicely Saunders in Britain in 1967, the efforts that followed in America by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and others, and the founding of the first hospice in the U.S., in Connecticut, in 1974. Drawing on the complete archives of the organization, beginning with the first recorded board meeting in 1980, Haynes, Director of Development for the organization from 1989, painstakingly traces the steps involved in nurturing Hospice of the Piedmont from concept to reality, thoroughly examining issues ranging from patient care to enlistment of volunteers to compliance with government and insurance regulation to fund-raising, and more, while never losing touch with the all-important human and emotional side of the work.Structured largely in terms of the successive administrations of Hospice of the Piedmont's executive directors, and the varying strengths and styles these individuals brought to the organization's challenges, SHARING THE JOURNEY should prove an invaluable resource for those concerned with the history of the hospice movement, for individuals currently involved in hospice work, and for those interested in the functioning of nonprofit organizations in general. However, as thorough as it is as an organizational chronicle, the heart of the book lies in the ultimate purpose of hospice, reflected in the title. Of course, "the journey" in this case could be taken to mean the process of building the organization; but in fact the title is the motto of Hospice of the Piedmont. It reflects the commitment that has guided the work of the organization from its founding: Sharing the Journey through the end of life with patients and their loved ones.