Companions at the End of Life for Those Who Are Alone

He couldn't speak and didn't move. His body had entered the stage his nurses called "actively dying." They assumed he would die that afternoon.

That was why Jane had come.

"I just kind of watch them on their journey," she said gently.

Officially, she was an 11th Hour Companion, a volunteer sent by Phoenix's Hospice of the Valley to sit with patients who would otherwise be alone. But Jane's role was more complex than that. She was an advocate, a guardian, a chaperone into the next life. Another volunteer once described himself as "a patient's last new friend," and Jane nodded her agreement. She soothed family members' fears and stayed when they had to step away. Sometimes, she had to tell nurses that her patient had died.

Companionship and solace for those dying alone