Being There, a collection of portraits and stories of hospice caregivers in Central Vermont by documentary filmmaker and photographer Corey Hendrickson in partnership with CVHHH is on display in the Vermont State House Cafeteria through March.
See the Portraits
The Vermont State House cafeteria is open to the public Monday and Friday 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Corey Hendrickson approached CVHHH with the idea for Being There after supporting his grandmother at the end of her life. “When my grandmother died, I received help from several hospice volunteers,” says Corey. “I was moved by their willingness just to be there and wanted to use my art to explore the ways that hospice caregivers recharge and reflect on their profession.”
For two years starting in 2018, Corey photographed members of CVHHH’s interdisciplinary hospice team, past and present CVHHH hospice volunteers, and family members of patients cared for by CVHHH’s hospice team, in spaces and doing activities that bring them joy and a sense of peace.
Learn More
Watch a short video about the project featuring Corey Hendrickson, CVHHH’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Emily McKenna, and Beth Rusnock of National Life Group, where Being There debuted in November 2019.
“Conversations about hospice are often, understandably, told from the patient’s perspective,” says Emily McKenna, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at CVHHH. “I was intrigued by Corey’s idea to explore the lives of hospice clinicians and caregivers, volunteers, and family members of hospice patients. How can listening to their unique perspectives expand our understanding of the benefits of hospice care?”
2022 Update
Being There debuted at National Life Group’s Montpelier headquarters in November of 2019, and the exhibit was intended to travel around Central Vermont starting in the spring of 2020. Over the course of the pandemic, some members of CVHHH’s hospice team who were featured in the exhibit have retired or left CVHHH. Their portraits remain in the exhibit to honor their contributions to clients and the community. Hendrickson is reconnecting with current members of CVHHH’s hospice team to capture images to add to the collection. You can learn more about hospice care at CVHHH here.
Meet the Caregivers
These hospice caregivers were photographed in places or doing activities that help them maintain balance in their lives. While they had their portraits taken, many of the caregivers spoke about why they chose a career in hospice, what they feel makes them well-suited to the profession, and what they do to recharge.
Jim Budis, RN, MSN, CVHHH’s Hospice & Palliative Care Team Manager
“I feel strongly that we need to be there for people when they need us. This is a job where you get one chance to get it right, and you have to figure it out. My team is as committed as I am, and they show up every day. I feel really lucky.
I love hiking. I love swimming in waterfalls and rivers in the summer. I enjoy cross country and downhill skiing with my kids. Anything that can get me outdoors is going to make me happy.”
Nicole Dupont, CVHHH’s Hospice Volunteer Coordinator
“I have been a working single mom for six years, and
I think that’s why I really connect with my position.
I know what it’s like to need support during hard times.
My children are my joy. At this moment in time, it seems so cold, and my girls are that soft glow on the trees after snowfall. They are just the beauty and joy in everything I do.”
Cat Allan-Quinn, Per Diem CVHHH Hospice & Palliative Care RN
“Working on the boat helped me in the battle of losing my husband and my dad. The boat helped heal me. It has also helped me connect with my patients better. It made me a better nurse. I know it’s just a boat, but it’s not just a boat.
I am so used to moving forward with biking, running, skiing. Working on wood is an art. It’s thinking and creating.”
Diana Moore, Bereavement Coordinator and member of Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“Any time I walk into a labyrinth, I feel like I’ve come home. I come [here] to shed things that I don’t need to carry and to receive support. And, this is a really sweet space for me with the apple trees and the lilac bushes and maple trees [which] are very nourishing and nurturing. It’s a sweet space.”
Bonnie Breer, RN, and member of Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“At least once a month [Jeremiah and I] get together, and it just warms my heart. My work helps me appreciate my family more and your friends and just the little things.”
Larry Detweiler, Interfaith Chaplain and former member of Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“I like the motion of the swing and the movement and the ability to calm my thoughts and my emotions and to take in the beauty of nature around me. Typically, I’m on this swing with my wife next to me and we have that time to chat about what’s going on inside of us. Emotionally and spiritually, that’s very calming for me, very peaceful, and that’s very important for me to be able to settle myself in that fashion.”
Bridget Coburn, RN, and former member of Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“It’s such a joy to come up here and look at the cows and help my son out, just connecting with the animals. I think animals are a great form of therapy, and it’s something I truly enjoy. No matter how busy my time is or my life is, it’s amazing to be able to come up here and connect with the cows and spend time with my son and do things that are meaningful for me as well.”
Gordie Eurich, whose wife, Casey, was cared for by CVHHH’s Hospice Team
“My first date with Casey was up here, skiing. The last run I took with her skiing was also up here. [Ellen] and I are hiking to the top of Paradise, which is where I skied in 1991 and decided I was mature enough to get married and made the decision on the top of that trail, looking over the Valley. And a few years later, [I] made the decision that I was mature enough to have a child. We’re going up there today to reflect a little bit and to be a part of the mountain again.”
Jonna Goulding, MD, Hospice Medical Director for CVHHH and Director of Palliative & Spiritual Care, Central Vermont Medical Center
“Making music has a lot to do with palliative care. I think the best practitioners of this type of medicine and the best musicians have certain skills that they’ve learned over time. The key is, once you have the skills, so much of it is about stopping, holding the space, and listening. And I don’t know a good hospice practitioner, nurse or physician, and I certainly don’t know any good musicians, who aren’t great listeners. You have to be able to hear other people and adjust.”
Jean Semprebon, former Hospice Volunteer Coordinator
“[The] outdoors is very important to me. One winter, we had a snowstorm that took down a tree that’s in the hedge of my hemlocks. So, I cleaned out the inside of that area and made it into a sitting area so I could go out there and read in the summertime. Just being in nature, and the quiet of nature, that is a gift.”
Jewelene Griffin, RN, and former Hospice & Palliative Care team manager
“I have worked in the hospice industry for more than 20 years and absolutely love what I do. I feel privileged to be a part of patients’ and families’ lives at such a precious time. The hours are long and the responsibility is great, but the reward is worth it. I am proud to be a part of the hospice community.”
Julie Shevlin, RN, and former member of Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“When I find a spot like this, I can’t help myself but to pull over and start taking pictures. It doesn’t matter what season it’s been. It’s been worthy of pictures every time. I find it really therapeutic to see the beauty in between the emotions of [my] patients. To be able to relax by what you see in nature is awesome.”
Liz Robinson, Licensed Nursing Assistant, and former member, Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“When I come home from work, I like to spend an hour, maybe two hours [in the garden]. It’s just to kind of clear my mind from the day, from any stress. Just pulling a few little weeds is relaxing and enjoyable to me. I plant extra vegetables for my dad and my mom so they can have fresh vegetables throughout the summer.”
Michelle Acciavatti, Funeral Director, Guare & Sons, and former CVHHH Hospice Volunteer
“Hubbard Park is large enough that you can get to places in the woods where you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes, before I’m ready to [go] back home, I’ll walk around or wander. It reminds me that there’s a constant cycle of life and death that, once you become aware of [it], you realize thatdeath is a part of life, that it’s with us everyday. Coming to nature is a way for me to experience this in a more simplified way, without the complexity of how you feel when a person is dying.”
Tess Kennedy, whose husband, Doug, was cared for by CVHHH’s Hospice Team
“I started regularly donating platelets because of my late husband, Doug. You come and you sit for two hours and you feel like you’re doing something about the illness. The common theme for anybody who is diagnosed with terminal cancer is it renders them helpless. You literally cannot do a single thing to fix this person you love. At least by donating blood products, I’m doing something. Pay it forward. That’s how I see it.”
Theresa Lever, M.Ed., retired Patient Navigator at National Life Cancer Treatment Center, Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC)
“As a social worker, I’ve learned that there are so many things that I couldn’t fix. I can’t actually fix this person’s cancer. But there are so many small things that I can have an impact on that will mean something to somebody. One thing I’ve learned is how far kindness goes.”
Mary Larsen, RN, and retired member of Hospice & Palliative Care Team
“I find being with the horses to be very grounding and centering. At the end of a workday, I’m going to the barn and feeding the horses and cleaning out the stalls. It doesn’t matter what else is happening in my world or in the world. They still need to be fed. They still need attention. Sort of [brings] me back to that everyday life. Life goes on, no matter what.”