It should come as no surprise that women and men accept hospice care differently after receiving a terminal diagnosis. According to Compass’s Heather Guerieri, CEO of Queen Anne’s, Caroline, and Kent County’s local hospice program, many men tend to accept their end of life with directness and an almost business-like approach. In contrast, women tend to be more willing to fight in the initial phase, determined to keep going for families, but eventually are far more inclined to embrace hospice.
And it should be no surprise that the Women & Girls Fund has understood those differences almost from the moment the WGF was founded twenty years ago. And over those two decades, the Fund has made grants for these unique needs, including their Hospice for Women program, grief services, and sending girls to their summer camp after losing a parent.
In the Spy’s ongoing series celebrating 20 years of grantmaking by the Women & Girls Fund, we talked with Heather and former WGF president and board member Kathy Deoudes, who continues to be a volunteer for Compass, about this extraordinarily moving partnership.
This video is approximately three minutes in length. This video is approximately 6 minutes in length. For the Women & Girls Fund please go here. For Compass please go here.