St. Francis sister awarded for hospice volunteer work

Sister Marguerite Lamberjack, a Sister of St. Francis of Tiffin and a volunteer with Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice, has won an Excellence in Volunteer Service award for "exemplary volunteer service," enriching the lives of people served by a LeadingAge Ohio member organization. Despite the pandemic, Lamberjack spent more than 700 hours with patients at Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice and Ohio Living Swan Creek in Toledo by visiting and providing support for hospice patients. The award was presented at LeadingAge Ohio's Annual Conference and Trade Show Aug. 4-6 in Columbus. "Through her hospice volunteer work, Sister Marguerite offers unconditional emotional support and companionship to patients and families at Ohio Living Swan Creek as well as patients within the Toledo community," the award announcement stated. "Despite COVID restrictions, Sister Marguerite still managed to volunteer over 700 hours supporting patients over the past year, including with those who were isolated. When unable to visit in person, she sent letters. "One individual, whose husband currently receives hospice services through Ohio Living, stated of Sister Marguerite, 'She is the most deserving person in the world. She has been a godsend and a gift from heaven for my husband and me,'" the statement said. "It was very surprising," Lamberjack said from her home in Toledo. "It was nice to be awarded I have to say." Part of the work is filing a report on every person she sees. "I was in total shock because I hadn't been aware that I had done over 700 hours during the COVID year," she said. "I didn't know it. I just kept doing what I was doing. "One thing I definitely want to say is that Ohio Living does a really good job trying to take care of each individual patient and their needs," she said. "It's a pleasant place to work, and professional." At age 81, she spends 25-30 hours every week visiting 24-30 patients, and she's been a volunteer for three years. "I really enjoy talking with people and listening to them," she said. "Ohio Living lets me know when they have new hospice patients and whether they're here in Swan Creek." "When I was 78 years old I retired more or less so I could visit hospice patients," she said. "I don't feel retired because I'm still working every day." Lamberjack said the idea for her volunteer work grew from assisting a priest who had a ruptured brain aneurism. "I helped with his personal needs and meals and keeping his parishes going," she said. Through that experience, she realized the need for people to assist patients. "I didn't want to do any medical stuff," she said. But she knew she wanted to help. When her term on the Sisters of St. Francis corporate board ended, she didn't know where to begin, so she attended an expo in Toledo that dealt with the type of work she wanted to do. From among the companies exhibiting, she chose Ohio Living, called the company and was invited for an interview. She said she never knows what people want to talk about. One lady wanted to talk about her wedding and show her a wedding album. Others talk about their kids and families. If patients are Catholic, she prays with them and offers Communion. "Usually, somewhere in the conversation, it turns to death," she said. "Age and condition gets all of us." She talks to people about planning for their death and about "what they think will happen when they die." "Every patient is different," she said. When death approaches, she sits in vigil with them. "I do a lot of vigil sitting," she said. "We try never to leave a dying patient alone." She works with staff members and others, and when it's her turn to sit with them she sings with them and prays with them. "Whatever seems to fit that will help out," she said. "Sometimes it's two or three days. It's amazing how lonely people feel if they know they're dying." She said her volunteer work is a gift. "It's a gift to me actually," she said. "They all seem to think it's to them." Lamberjack has no plans to stop her volunteer work. "As long as I can still drive," she said. "That is a blessing as long as you have it because you never know what day you're not going to be able to." However, she said that wouldn't even stop her because she lives near the Swan Creek facility. "Any day that the weather's good, I walk it," she said. "It's a half mile or two-thirds mile. It's a nice walk." During her career, Lamberjack served as a teacher for many years and then as principle for several Catholic schools in the area. "And then I became the associate pastor in quite a few parishes," she said. Her retirement led her down a new path. "2021 has been a challenging year as the aging services workforce has bravely continued the fight against coronavirus and its effects, which include mental and emotional toll in addition to physical danger," said Kathryn Brod, president and CEO of LeadingAge Ohio, in the award announcement. "To have caring volunteers like Sister Marguerite supporting our membership has given strength to care providers as they continue to serve residents and patients, as well as support staff and families, throughout this year of recovery and renewed challenges."