Twelve years ago, Kathryn Richdale, OD, PhD, Dipl CCLRT, and her family experienced something no one plans for: her dad, Peter, entered hospice care due to chronic kidney disease.
“When a doctor tells you it’s time to allow your loved one to go, it turns your whole world upside down,” she says. “My family and I were unprepared and unequipped to handle everything that came next.”
Even though it was an extremely difficult time, Dr. Richdale says the support from their hospice team—including doctors, nurses, counselors and other care providers—made all the difference. So when she found an opportunity to spend more time giving back, Dr. Richdale decided to give the hospice program a call. Now, she helps others “go through the inevitable process of dying and death.”
MORE TIME TO GIVE TIME
At her day job, Dr. Richdale is the Director of Post-Market Clinical Affairs at CooperVision, where she works on a variety of clinical research studies. She says a shift from academia to industry just after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic led to more schedule flexibility and, therefore, time to do more.
She now volunteers with Houston Hospice up to eight hours a month. “There is so much need and never enough support. As a hospice volunteer, I can choose to spend time directly supporting patients and families, providing administrative support, educating the community or helping with fundraising,” she says.
She says the experience has totally shifted her perspective on life. “I’ve always been a hard-working, driven person with high expectations of myself and others,” Dr. Richdale says. “Volunteering with hospice is a constant reminder to let go of the small stuff and focus on what really matters. I won’t say I’ve mastered the art of letting go, but it’s definitely made a positive shift in my life and overall happiness.”
FACING THE CONVERSATION
Dr. Richdale still sees a stigma around death in the U.S. “When I tell people I volunteer with hospice or have done death doula training, they often think it’s sad or weird—or both,” she says.
But those responses don’t surprise her. In fact, she’s felt the awkwardness some people feel towards death since her dad died. “I remember people sharing their condolences with me after my dad passed, but then it seemed to be quickly forgotten. I was expected to get back to my life,” she says. “But I struggled a lot with my new normal and had to pretend everything was okay.”
As a result, she is much more willing to dive into conversations with others around the loss of a loved one. She also recommends long-term grief support and bereavement services when needed. She wishes she had known those services were available when she needed them.
But not everyone knows that hospice care is available for them or their loved ones. “Hospice is a part of the national health care system,” she says. “Most major cities have at least one organization, and the services are supported by Medicare and Medicaid.” She personally chose to volunteer with a non-profit hospice program to help serve anyone, including uninsured and unhoused individuals.
“I believe every human deserves to die with dignity in the way they wish. Houston Hospice is an incredibly peaceful place where everyone unites in their respect for human dignity and the inevitable end of life.”
Read more health and wellness stories from WO here.
Read about Dr. Richdale’s switch from academia to industry here.
