It’s always difficult for family members when a beloved relative requires hospice care. First and foremost, it’s a concrete sign that it’s soon going to be time to say goodbye. But it can also be stressful to entrust a loved one to the care of strangers, especially since it’s so important that their final days or weeks be spent in as much comfort as possible, surrounded by kind, compassionate people. Fortunately, the vast majority of hospice staffers are just that.
Mary Redmond was a retired voice and piano teacher whose health had taken a turn for the worse. She was at the Austinburg Nursing and Rehab Center in northeastern Ohio receiving end-of-life care. While making the rounds one day, a staffer named Joshua Woodward recognized Mary: he’d been one of her students when he was 9 years old! Since her hospitalization, one thing Mary missed was being surrounded by music.
In particular, she wanted to hear the hymn “How Great Thou Art” before she died. Singing wasn’t part of Joshua’s job description, but he knew it would be a way for him to thank Mary for all she’d done for him. So he cued-up the hymn’s lyrics on his phone and gave his former teacher an amazing rendition straight from the heart. Since a camera was in place, there’s even video of this really touching act of kindness. We’ve posted it for you below.
Mary’s daughter-in-law greatly appreciated Joshua’s kindness: “Hospice workers are angels but this hospice aide is special. Mary taught voice and piano in her day and this aide Joshua Woodward was one of her students as a kid. Special people hospice workers are!”
Let us know what you you thought of this hospice employee’s willingness to go above-and-beyond in the comments at Facebook. Be sure to like and share: it’ll be a tribute to Joshua and also all the other wonderful elder care workers out there.
