“When did you feel most alive?”
This is a question Dr. Lori Montross has been asking hospice patients for years. The question is part of her unique specialization in Dignity Therapy, an evidence-based treatment to enhance a sense of meaning, legacy, and positive reflection at the end of life. In Dignity Therapy, Lori has the honor of asking patients to share their most treasured memories, and to reflect on what lessons they have learned throughout their lives. As part of the process, every patient’s story is carefully woven into a personalized legacy book, one that can be directly given to family and friends as a keepsake.
Emphasizing life’s meaning and legacy has been at the heart of Lori’s practice as a licensed psychologist for the past 8 years. In fact, this emphasis is part of what led her to LightBridge. Because of her advocacy for dignity in all aspects of care – having published 40 articles and book chapters in this area – she received the prestigious Lights of LightBridge award in 2017. Although this award recognized one aspect of her success, her connection to LightBridge has been developing at an even deeper level for years.
Namely, Lori has been a professor at the University of California, San Diego as well as California State University, San Marcos since 2013. Over the past 5 years, she has supervised students as they embarked on their professional internships at LightBridge. In that role, Lori viewed LightBridge as a standout in the community. She saw LightBridge as an organization that not only provided expert and comprehensive training, but one where students remained as volunteers for years after their university requirements ended. As Lori said, “Any hospice that can engage and retain busy college students for years has to be top-notch!”
That fond respect for LightBridge fueled her enthusiasm to become their new Director of Psychological and Volunteer Services, a role she describes as the “perfect house for her heart.” She is delighted to now supervise the 70 LightBridge Volunteers (some of which are her previous students) and to cultivate their robust Integrative Therapies Programs. In turn, she will be able to carry on her passion for making meaning and fostering legacy for patients and families, all while connecting with the LightBridge team members who share her commitment to providing expert dignity in care. In the end, she is confident that being a new member of LightBridge Hospice is destined to be one of her own “times she felt most alive.”
To learn more about Dignity Therapy or the wide range of services we provide at LightBridge Hospice & Palliative Care, contact us today. You can reach our team by calling us at (858) 458-2992 or visiting us online. Our team, including Lori, is here to support and join alongside you and your loved one in your hospice journey, all while creating treasured legacies.
