Blog Tour: Hospice Voices by Eric Linder (spotlight, interview)

Hospice Voices
written by Eric Linder
published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Read Melissa’s review here.
 

About the book: As a part-time hospice volunteer, Eric Lindner provides companion care to dying strangers. They are chatterboxes and recluses, religious and irreligious, battered by cancer, congestive heart failure, Alzheimer s, old age. Some cling to life amazingly. Most pass as they expected.

In telling his story, Lindner reveals the thoughts, fears, and lessons of those living the ends of their lives in the care of others, having exhausted their medical options or ceased treatment for their illnesses. In each chapter, Lindner not only reveals the lessons of lives explored in their final days, but zeroes in on how working for hospice can be incredibly fulfilling.

As he s not a doctor, nurse, or professional social worker, just a volunteer lending a hand, offering a respite for other care providers, his charges often reveal more, and in more detail, to him than they do to those with whom they spend the majority of their time. They impart what they feel are life lessons as they reflect on their own lives and the prospect of their last days. Lindner captures it all in his lively storytelling.

Anyone who knows or loves someone working through end of life issues, living in hospice or other end of life facilities, or dealing with terminal or chronic illnesses, will find in these pages the wisdom of those who are working through their own end of life issues, tackling life s big questions, and boiling them down into lessons for anyone as they age or face illness. And those who may feel compelled to volunteer to serve as companions will find motivation, inspiration, and encouragement.

In one sentence, tell us why we should read your book? It will disprove the widespread notion that “little can be done” at the end of life.

Why did you decide to write Hospice Voices? As I shared my experiences with my family and friends, I could see their eyes light up as I told them about Little One’s secrets and Cricket’s pistols. My patients’ stories captivated people and they always wanted to know more.

Your parents made volunteer work a priority.  Did that sink in with you when you were young? Yes.  Even as a child, I saw that in addition to always being there for family and friends, my folks’ main focus was helping strangers. Volunteering wasn’t an “if I have time thing” for either of them.

Prior to hospice, are there any volunteer experiences that you have had that stand out to you? Launching an ice cream social for seniors at a DC retirement home, reading to children in a hospital burn unit, and tutoring a pre-teen from Chicago’s South Side, whose mom worked especially hard to keep her son from becoming a gang member.

What advice would you give someone who wants to start volunteering? The simplest way to find hospices in your area is to Google “hospice care in Zip Code 12345.” But don’t forget Old School methods, too. Ask your primary care doctor, neighbors and friends. You’ll be surprised how many of them have had experience with hospice. They can often point you in the right direction.

Any other books in the works?  Goals for future projects? I’m noodling on a second book.  But most of my focus remains on this book and this topic.,

What is your favorite genre to read? “Spiritually oriented,” both fiction (Gilead, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek) and non-fiction (Frederick Buechner, Kenneth Bailey, Sarah Ruden, Walter Wink).

Who is your favorite author? Frederick Buechner.

In your opinion, what is one book that everyone should read?  The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Tell us three things about yourself that cannot be found on the internet . . . At least not found easily. I’m scared of heights and go nuts on bridges. I used to have a very good voice. In high school, I could hit all the high notes in every song by The Temptations. These days, the only place I can sing without scaring away the crows is in the shower. I’ve got a very sharp ear for accents and can generally guess where anyone is from — even whether they’re from Atlanta, Georgia or the country of Georgia.

 

About the author: Eric Lindner is an attorney & entrepreneur. He has been a hospice companion caregiver since 2009. He divides his time between Warrenton, VA and Kauai, Hawaii.

Find Mr. Linder here: web, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest