22 Years of Compassion: Honoring Volunteer Pat DesJardin
For more than 22 years, Pat DesJardin quietly and faithfully served as a volunteer care companion with Pathways Hospice.
Recently featured in Fifty & Better Magazine (check it out here on page 38: https://issuu.com/rmparent/docs/fifty_better_spring), Pat reflected on his long journey in hospice volunteering—and the lessons it taught him.
After moving to Loveland in 1997 to be closer to family, Pat searched for a meaningful way to give back. A former high school biology, anatomy, and physiology teacher—and longtime coach—he had always been a nurturer. When he learned about hospice volunteering, he completed Pathways’ training and began visiting patients two hours each week.
Over the years, Pat companioned patients in nursing homes, assisted living communities, and private residences. He read aloud. He played games. He shared meals. He pushed one woman’s wheelchair through a sculpture park because she loved art. He played Farkle with a man living with Parkinson’s. Often, he simply listened.
“I learned to be a good listener by shutting my mouth,” Pat says. “They didn’t want to hear about me. They needed to talk.”
Some patients were in his life for weeks; others for years. One woman in her 90s remained his companion for six years. With each relationship, Pat offered presence, steadiness, and compassion.
As he recently retired at age 86, he reflected on the emotional investment hospice work requires. “As I became more emotionally involved with my patients, and realized my abilities were less than they were in my 60s, it became apparent it was time to retire,” he said. “Volunteering with hospice has been fun and sometimes sad.”
When asked about his favorite part of volunteering, his answer was simple: the people.
“Everyone is different, but all of them are my heroes. They are so strong and appreciative of the little I do for them, even though they do so much for me.”
Pat encourages others to consider hospice service, acknowledging it isn’t easy—but deeply rewarding. His advice: “Be kind; be ready. Be strong, friendly, prepared, compassionate—and above all, be yourself.”
We are profoundly grateful for Pat’s decades of service. He may say he gained more than he gave, but the families and patients he walked beside would likely say the opposite.
“I’ll cherish the many memories of those who left footprints on my heart,” Pat shared.
And we will cherish the footprints he has left on ours.