Our Mission
For patients and their loved ones
We want to provide an opportunity for the contemplation and documentation of a life well-lived. For our patients, this means allowing them to tell their biographical stories, record important memories, and emphasize the beliefs and ideals that have meant the most to them. For families and loved ones, we welcome and encourage as many people as possible to take part in this creative process by contributing your own thoughts and experiences. By collecting this information and compiling it into a tangible whole, we hope to bring comfort to everyone involved in a form that endures - a Last Writers memoir.
For students and volunteers
This is an excellent opportunity to work with patients and families in hospice and palliative care. We welcome students and volunteers with all levels of experience in end-of-life healthcare, interviewing and memoir writing, and the combination of both into narrative medicine. Our collegiate programs are designed to immerse students in a community-based dual-curriculum experience, where they will be able to work closely with their peers in the classroom and apply what they learn directly into longitudinal relationships with their patients. Our independent programs are a great fit for the more experienced, where volunteers will have the flexibility to work on their own schedule while maintaining close connections to the Last Writers community.
For healthcare providers and support teams
We recognize the immense role that our healthcare providers and supporting team members play in the wellness of the patients we work with, and we thank them for making this opportunity possible. Where able, we always strive to include a patient's care team members in the writing process as well. We believe in the empathic and emotional benefits that come from participating in a patient's narrative during the most vulnerable period of their life. From all of us at Last Writers, thank you.