LENOIR, NC (October 28, 2016)…Reba Barlow of Lenoir, a long-time volunteer with Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, has received the 2016 Judith Lund Person Hospice Volunteer Award through The Carolinas Center for Hospice & End-of-Life Care.
The award is presented annually to one hospice volunteer from North and South Carolina whose service exemplifies exceptional service and commitment to hospice and the patients it serves.
Barlow received the award at The Carolinas Center’s 40th Annual Conference in Charlotte.
“I have a hard time saying ‘no’,” Barlow jokingly once remarked to a group of Caldwell Hospice volunteer trainees while sharing the wisdom she’s gained from her 23 years of volunteer service. “But, I get more than I give from working with my patients.”
With an attitude of service and compassion, Barlow has spent nearly 700 hours at Hospice in just the last five years providing companionship and caregiver relief, offering 11th Hour support, helping with gardening projects, lending a hand at special events and health fairs, facilitating the Virtual Dementia Tour® within the community, and assisting with countless other projects.
As a volunteer Barlow says, “I go in, I leave my problems at the door, and I focus on the patient and what they need.”
When asked about her work some time back, Barlow said, “I work with patients and families who are living until they die. I help make them as comfortable as I can by just being there and listening to them. Just being there is all that it takes.”
The daughter of a recent patient Reba served said, “Reba understood when Mom was ill. She knew how to talk to her and always made her laugh and smile.”
As a volunteer, Barlow also likes learning new things. She was one of the first Caldwell Hospice 11th Hour volunteers trained in October of 1998. She also underwent special training to help facilitate the Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT), a scientifically proven method of building a greater understanding of dementia through the use of patented sensory tools and instruction. Caldwell Hospice has offered the VDT in the community several times a year since the summer of 2014, and Barlow has helped at every presentation.
Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Brittany Bonn says, “Reba has a calm, but energetic demeanor. She is the kind of person who’s never met a stranger; she approaches new assignments with enthusiasm and positivity. You can tell that she devotes all her attention to her patients during their visits.”
The Carolinas Center is a two-state association representing more than 100 hospices in North and South Carolina. Cathy Swanson, CEO of Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, is chairperson for The Carolinas Center board of directors.