Campus Highlights|
February 10, 2025
By Emily Morris
Becoming Someone’s Last Memory
Volunteering in the No One Dies Alone program inspires Assistant Professor Abram Brummett’s health care outlook
Jason Willis
The idea that ‘no one should die alone’ compels Abram Brummett, Ph.D., assistant professor in foundational medical studies at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, past his classroom philosophies. Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak supports an inspiring program, No One Dies Alone (NODA), and through volunteers like Dr. Brummett patients approaching death are comforted in their final hours.
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| Abram Brummett, assistant professor in foundational medical studies |
“I immediately found it compelling,” Brummett says. “The idea of patients dying alone in the hospital is heartbreaking, and I wanted to do anything I could to help.”
With conversations of care already circulating through his classroom, Brummett felt inspired to follow his students’ commitment to community service activities. He learned about NODA from a classroom connection with the Spiritual Care Office at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, and he wanted to take his health care endeavors further by joining their “group of compassionate volunteers.”
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| The NODA program seeks to make dying patients comfortable by keeping them company during their final hours. |
When a dying patient doesn’t have any family or friends that can come to them, Brummett is an on-call volunteer to ease those last moments. Each visit is tailored to the patient, including reading to them, playing music, holding hands and — if they are awake — conversations too.
“In my most memorable case, the patient was awake and we sat there talking for a few hours,” Brummett recalls. “We ate some gummy bears and talked about his life, my life and whether he was scared to die … I hoped that our time together had given him some comfort. I will never forget how brave he was.”
Transcript
The No One Dies Alone program is a volunteer program that we have here at the hospital. Our goal is to be a healing, comforting presence with patients who are in the dying process so that they don't go through that alone.
The No One Dies Alone program is really fortunate to have volunteers like Abe that really do embody a compassionate healing presence for the patients. I'll tell them over and over again that they're being cared for, that people are with them.
I tell them that when they're ready, it's okay to go. To be able to be there with those patients is why I wanted to volunteer.
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| Abram Brummett walks with NODA program Director Kevin Hickey at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak. For questions about the No One Dies Alone (NODA) program, contact Kevin Hickey at kevin.hickey@corewellhealth.org or 248-551-1285. The next training class is Saturday, April 26. Learn more or register for the NODA training. |