The hospice: an educational-service model providing counseling opportunities and indirect benefits for older widows

The article focuses on the large and increasing number of older widows who are available for human service work within the hospice movement caring for the dying and the bereaved. The need for preparation for widowhood is cited as one major reason why widows should assist potential widows to prepare more adequately for this eventuality. Widows are portrayed as effective lay counselors in hospice because they have experienced the reality of death and possess an empathetic readiness for work in this human service field. The hospice training program for widows is appealing because it presents learning experiences that are satisfying for the older learner. Numerous therapeutic and educational benefits are available to the older widows who participate in hospice work and training. Widows, therefore, become both the beneficiaries and the benefactors of their service efforts.