Michael Hoffmann
Hospice companion
Horizon Home Care and Hospice
When Michael Hoffmann retired from his full time job, he knew he would need something to occupy his free time. His daughter introduced on him to Horizon Home Care & Hospice, and he quickly found a new passion.
“My daughter must have known I’d be good for this, because now I feel like it’s a perfect fit. I really enjoy it. It feels like a second home to me,” Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann became a Hospice Companion at Horizon Home Care & Hospice in Brown Deer.
A hospice companion’s main duty is to be with patients in their final days, but according to Horizon employees, Hoffmann has done so much more.
Katy Corey, manager of volunteer services at Horizon nominated Hoffman for this award.
According to Corey, Hoffman has served both Thanksgiving and Christmas day to be with patients who might be alone for the holidays. He has bonded with patients; decorating their rooms for their favorite holidays, baking for them, cooking their favorite meals or bringing them their favorite snacks.
“Mike befriended a gentleman who had talked about a house he had built as a young man in Sheboygan County,” Corey said. “Mike drove up to the house, took several pictures, and sat with the patient to look through them. It brought such a sense of joy and accomplishment to the gentleman.”
Since he started in early 2011, Hoffman has dedicated more than 360 hours as a hospice companion.
“It’s a very rewarding experience for me,” Hoffmann said. “I learn so much from talking with the patients and I have to say a huge driving force for me wanting to be there is the staff. They are just perfect, and they make you want to come back. I just try to make their experience as good as it possibly can be; I do it for the patients.”
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