April is National Volunteer Month, a time to recognize and celebrate volunteers! Meet Dave Smithberger, who has served at Aultman Hospice in Canton since 2002.

What led you to hospice volunteering?

I’ve lived in the Canton/North Canton area for about 40 years. I’ve always been involved as a volunteer with some organization. In my early 40s, health issues forced me into an early retirement. Around that time, I got involved with assisting in the caregiving for a friend of ours who had ALS. I got to know several of the members of the hospice team. I watched them care for my friend. The kindness, compassion and friendship they displayed was incredibly touching. My friend encouraged me to consider becoming a hospice volunteer. I’d never even considered that idea. He believed that I would be good at it. I talked to a couple of the team members that I had met. They were also very encouraging. I decided to do this.

How did you feel before your first hospice visit?

Our training program was well organized, thorough and very informative. I believed that with what I learned in my training and what I learned caring for my friend, I would be fine. But I wasn’t. On my first visit, I was filled with doubt, and I got nauseous. I was visiting a patient so that his wife could go out. I didn’t know if he liked to talk, watch TV or sleep. I didn’t even know if he would like me. Then I realized, the best thing I could do was just be myself. That worked, and he and I got along great.

At 21 years and counting, can you describe some of the favorite moments you’ve shared?

I’ve met some amazing people over the years – patients and family members. I’ve heard some incredible life stories, too. I’ve played cards, read to patients, written cards, carried in groceries and talked about almost every subject you can imagine. There are also times when someone just wants me to hold their hand or to pray with them.

One of the patients that I visited was very quiet. I would visit so that his wife could go out. Every Monday through Friday, they had one or two team members in their home. One day as I was leaving, she told me that each morning, he would ask, “Who’s coming today?” She told me that some days he wasn’t looking forward to having company, but any day that Dave was coming was a good day.

The caregivers are also so appreciative. I’ll come in to give them a chance to go out. We can stay up to four hours. It’s a wonderful option; caregivers get a chance to do some shopping, go to lunch or just go for a walk. I’ve also covered for their doctor’s appointments. Four hours sounds like a lot of time, but if the caregiver is running errands, it goes by quickly.

What has hospice volunteering meant to you?

I found a way to use the gifts that God gave me to help and bless others. It wasn’t my idea to be a hospice volunteer in the first place. Yet more than 21 years later, I’m still here.

I live with a degenerative illness. Talking with the patients and watching how they cope with their changing lives has helped me.

This is a way for me to help others and it gives me a purpose. As is always the case, I’ve gotten far more out of this than I put into it. I’m so blessed.

Do you have a compassionate and giving spirit? Volunteering at Aultman Hospice may be the perfect fit for you. The next training sessions will be held April 29, May 2 and May 3 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Compassionate Care Center in Canton. Interested volunteers must attend all three sessions. For more information, visit the Aultman Hospice volunteer page. If you are interested in becoming an Aultman Hospice volunteer, call 330-479-2370 or email Mia Campbell at mia.campbell@aultman.com.