Volunteers trained to do nothing but be there with that patient, and listen
—San Diego Union-Tribune. Louie Bettencourt, who at 83 says he's "full of the devil," has advanced heart disease, spreading prostate cancer and diabetes. He is part of a hospice program that allies dying patients with volunteers who become an emotional resource. Dorothy Shea, a volunteer: "A lot of doctors seem to be reluctant to admit they're losing a patient, and they wait so long before they refer families to hospice. They wait until the eve of the death. It's so sad. There's so much I feel I could do for these patients: give them massages, help them freshen up, help them eat."'
