Blacker is strongly considering a career in palliative medicine and volunteering at BCN has broadened her scope of experience. In her time at BCN, she participated in a variety of volunteer activities, including respite care, companionship visits and making birthday deliveries. She has also baked cookies and hosted the comfort cart with treats and support items for patients and their families.

Her favorite activity is taking her therapy dog, Walt, to visit patients at the Bluegrass Hospice Care Center at UK Healthcare. She recounts stories about Walt interacting with patients at the Care Center.  Blacker says volunteering at hospice has been one of her most rewarding experiences, and she has gained new insights that she didn’t get from her clinical experiences.   

“It’s a lot more personal than I realized and it is so special going into patient homes and spending time with them,” she said. 

Blacker recently completed the 11th hour training program. With this program, volunteers offer the gift of presence to patients who may not have a family or whose family cannot be with them so that they don’t pass alone. 

“We are so happy to have Brigette as a volunteer,” Jennifer Curtis, Volunteer and Community Liaison in Lexington, said. “It’s wonderful to see how she has pursued so many new opportunities in less than a year. At BCN we offer many ways to serve and help our volunteers find the right fit for them, and Brigette has certainly done that.” 

Learn more about volunteering at Bluegrass Care Navigators on our website.