essays

Hospice - Sail to Serenity

By Bertrum Rene Berkett #0204792
May 14, 2006

Hospice in prison, was this the humanitarian show of compassion or simply another way to cut the cost on an aging population of prisoner's serving life and mandatory sentences?

This write doesn't understand enough about the state of Iowa's budget issues to make a distinct answer, so I'll just speak on what I do know and that's the "real effect" the hospice unit named "Sail to Serenity" by its convict volunteers, has had on both the young and old, at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa.

This is the oldest prison in the United States, west of the Mississippi river.
Until 2005, convicts would simply die in the cell or the infirmary in a cold lonely room, hurting physically and mentally from the pains of the disease, which ravaged their bodies, minds and souls.

They would see a nurse when and if she had the time. But after she shut the door, they'd return to their lonely world of thoughts, doubts, despair and uncertainties.

Most would die alone; with only the sounds of nature to give whatever comfort or compassion one can receive from such an unfair fate.

Then one day Marilyn Sales called 6 longtime convicts to the infirmary and ask us to watch videotape, she didn't even explain it's contents.

It was the Angola Prison Hospice video. After watching the 23-minute video, she simply asked one question, "so do you think we can do this here at Iowa State Penitentiary?"

Immediately each man said yes! Each man in the room was serving life and had more than twenty years in on his life sentence. And we all understood in Iowa, "life means life!"

We met many times over the next few months and each time the convict’s interest grew. We had 28 applicants interview to become hospice volunteers. Twenty were chosen after an in depth interview with Marilyn Sales (Director of Nursing for the department of Corrections), William Spersflage (Deputy Warden) and Debbie Nichols (Security Director.)

We were immediately involved and had to pick paint colors for our first hospice room because Herbie Schnee, one of the original 6sixto view the video, became terminally ill with cancer and he was our first hospice patient.

We hadn't had one class yet but under Marilyn's direction and the helpful hand of several nurses, we cared for Herbie. We were with him 24 hours a day and for the first time in Iowa State Penitentiary history a convict died, pain free, with convict volunteers all around him, holding his hands, praying and caring for his last earthly needs.

This was the moment that if I hadn't experienced, I would have difficulty believing!

After his death, we cleaned the body and prepared him to be picked up by the funeral home, we even washed every drop of ink from his fingers after he was fingerprinted for the final time. We also placed his body on the gurney and zipped up the body bag.

Since Herbie's death we have been through thorough classes on hospice and attention for daily living (ADL.) All twenty volunteers graduated and received our diplomas at a ceremony in which each volunteers was able to have a two of his immediate family members in attendance - this was truly unprecedented.

Now we have 2 hospice rooms up and ready, we also have 6 ADL rooms ready to care for convicts who cannot care for themselves and whom are not terminal but need daily assistance to maintain a positive manner of living.

We bathe, feed, cloth and clean their rooms and give then a chance to receive indoor/outdoor recreation.

We've also had two more hospice patients. Angelo Palmer, 39 years old and Albert (Butch) Galvin, 61. Both passed from cancer and each death has been extremely different.

Our hospice motto is simply this, "By the hands of many, God’s work is done."
It is important to note our entire hospice program has been funded by donations from churches, private citizens and the initial $500 placed in our account by Marilyn sales, out of her late mother's foundation.

Currently we are blessed to have an independent filmmaker Edgar Barens filming our program daily, for a documentary to be released in the near future.
Edgar was involved in the Angola video and directed the documentary "A Sentence of Their Own."

It is our hope that you will see that we have tried to make our program a "model" for all prisons to emulate. Just as we learned from those special convicts at Angola we pray we can be a real influence on those whom watch us as we are given the privilege to witness a man's efforts at the most private time this life has to offer - it's end.

In closing, I must say this, hospice in no way is the "coddling" of convicts but it is the final opportunity we will have to show God our compassion for one of his children, regardless of his deficiencies!

I'd like to thank the Iowa Governor Vilsack, Department of Corrections, Iowa State Penitentiary and Marilyn Sales for affording us the opportunity to experience something so special, at a time when most of society has given up on us.

"When one is entrusted with a solemn duty of this magnitude, shrinking is not an option."