No resident has to die alone at the James L. West Center for Dementia Care thanks to a team of volunteers who support residents and families in those precious final hours of life.
Started in 2021 by Hollie Glover, MA, LPC, NCC and Certified Grief Therapist, the 11th Hour Program is designed to connect specially trained volunteers with residents and families during the resident’s final hours.
“The goal is that no resident dies alone, and their transition is filled with dignity and grace,” said Glover. “Team members create a peaceful and sacred environment for the resident and family to share their last hours together and say goodbye.”
No resident dies alone
The 11th Hour volunteers, with the hospice, educate the families with knowledge of the signs and symptoms that signal end of life. Each volunteer offers support by being present as the clinical team assists the resident and their family during the resident’s last hours.
“Our volunteers attempt to reduce the patient’s stress and anxiety and provide the family information, guidance and emotional, physical and spiritual support,” Glover said.
Volunteers pray with residents and family members, share readings, and/or sit in silent reflection. They provide a gentle touch and comfort to residents and their family members.
Volunteers range in age from 22 to 88. James L. West staff and family and community members give their time to the program.
The 11th Hour program provides Final Farewell/Salute services to all families (veterans and non-veterans) that includes a farewell procession with staff lining the hallways.
The program has served 82 families with vigil and comfort at end of life, and served more than 854 hours.
Making the end of life beautiful
For Shayla Hall, volunteering with the 11th Hour program has turned into a passion for educating families about the end-of-life process and the beauty of a peaceful, dignified transition.
“I realized after taking the 11th Hour training that the end-of-life stigma that death is scary is not completely correct. Dying only happens once, and everyone deserves to transition with dignity, peace and with someone by their side,” Hall said.
Hall, who is the center’s business office manager, now co-facilitates the program with Glover and continues to volunteer to sit vigil.
When staff notice a resident is starting to transition, Hall and Glover are notified. Hall visits the resident to look for signs that end of life is close. She and the clinical team determine if the resident is appropriate for 11th Hour services. Then, Hall sends a text to the volunteer team asking for help.
The James L. West team provides an 11th Hour kit, which includes a variety of resources including a boom box and CDs with music from the resident’s youth, poetry books, a Bible, and magazines. Kits are customized for each resident’s interests.
The 11th hour kit also includes mood-setting tools, like flameless candles, diffusers, and lavender lotion.
Families are welcome to eat on-site while sitting vigil, and a courtesy cart with drinks and snacks is stocked for their convenience.
Stickers featuring the barn swallow from the James L. West logo are placed on the resident’s door. Hall said this visible symbol often brings out compassion in other residents, who want to come say goodbye to their friend and offer comfort to the families.
“The program has a huge impact on families,” Hall said. “They are scared, emotional, worried, and we can provide a little bit of peace. We explain the process of end of life, things to look for, sounds to listen for.”
Volunteers are also trained to be attuned to family dynamics that may interfere with a peaceful transition.
Supporting residents and families
The 11th Hour volunteers make it possible for someone to be with a resident around the clock.
“If there’s only one relative in the area, they can’t sit vigil 24/7,” said Michelle May, who has volunteered with the 11th Hour program for nearly a year. “They need breaks for sleeping, eating and things like that. We’re able to come in and say, we’re here to serve you. When you need a break, we’re here and we will sit with your loved one. We fill the gaps.”
May, whose mother has dementia, learned about the 11th Hour program through the James L. West Center’s education programs and a family support group.
“I took all the classes [at James L. West],” May said. “It was during the course of those classes that I learned about the 11th Hour program.”
She’d never heard of a senior community providing this type of program, but she liked the idea.
“No one dies alone. They are cared for and given dignity and respect and compassion in their last moments before they pass on,” she said. “And I thought, ‘I’ve got to be a part of that.’”
She had witnessed the blessing and comfort a vigil could bring when her husband’s family sat vigil for a beloved family member.
So May signed up and completed the volunteer training with Glover’s encouragement to ensure no James L. West resident dies alone.
“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to be able to do it,” May said. “It’s a blessing to be able to be with someone in their last moments here on Earth before stepping into eternity. It’s an honor to be able to comfort someone and comfort a resident’s family in their last moments.”
A final farewell
Once the resident passes, Hall coordinates a final salute for veterans or a final farewell for non-veteran residents. Staff members line the main hallway as the resident and their family are escorted out of the building.
“It’s important to us that our residents leave the facility the same way they entered, through the front door,” Hall said.
As the family passes through the Final Farewell/Salute, the 11th Hour volunteers who have supported the family at end of life follow the family to their funeral care. The volunteers either fold the American flag or a special James L. West Center blanket and present it to the family.
For a final salute, an American flag, provided by James L. West, is draped over the resident as they are escorted from the building. Taps is played during the procession, and after leaving the building, two team members fold the flag and present it to the family.
For a final farewell, the resident is draped with a blanket made by James L. West residents, and Amazing Grace, or another song that was meaningful to the resident, is played.
“Being able to be with someone in their last moments is a privilege,” Hall said. “To be able to provide positive memories for something you only get one chance at, for something that typically isn’t a life event people like to remember at all, gives a feeling that you made a difference. This person mattered, and you helped make them matter.”
Another 11th Hour program volunteer was recently recognized in the Fort Worth Report. Read her story.
To learn how you can volunteer with the 11th Hour program to ensure no resident dies alone, contact Glover at 817-877-1199 or hglover@jameslwest.org or complete our volunteer application.
