As a young girl, Lynne Gilt had her first meaningful Hospice experience. 

Her grandfather was receiving end-of-life care and his nurse made Lynne a part of the team. It wasn’t much. She simply asked Lynne to hand her gauze as she packed a wound. 

But Lynne appreciated the compassion the nurse showed. 

“I felt like I was helping him,” Gilt said. “That made it a little less scary for me. She took good care of him.”  

Now Lynne is the one helping take care of patients like her grandfather, and she recently surpassed the 25-year milestone, helping Ohio’s Hospice fulfill its mission for more than two decades. 

The superior care and superior services that Ohio’s Hospice provides for its patients and families are crucial, which is why Lynne enjoys her job. She is currently the clinical administration team leader in our North Care Region. 

“I think it’s rewarding,” she said. “It’s a very emotional and hard job but it’s very rewarding.” 

Originally an oncology nurse, Lynne first started working part time at Ohio’s Hospice in Holmes County after moving to the area and going stir crazy as a stay-at-home mom. Some oncology nurses she previously worked with would pick up shifts at Ohio’s Hospice and it seemed like a “natural fit” for Lynne.  

“A lot of [cancer] patients pass so that kind of seemed like a natural bridge,” she said. “[Hospice] always seemed interesting to me.” 

Lynne also drew on the personal experience of her grandfather and her father, who died of leukemia when he was 50. 

“I knew there were nurses that he had that I didn’t think should have been taking care of a dying patient,” she said. “Over the years I’ve seen nurses that don’t have a good approach. I’ve learned from the times I spent with my dad and grandfather. I knew what it was like to be on the other side. I knew what it was like to lose someone.” 

That experience has led her to ensure quality of life for Ohio’s Hospice patients and families. Whether through small gestures or grand moments, Lynne focused on what brought joy. She had one patient who was a practical joker and when he became immobile, she helped him get an electric whoopie cushion to prank a visiting chaplain. 

She’s also had popsicles on the porch with patients and even helped one patient become Santa. 

“He just wanted to do it one more time,” Lynne said, adding that staff brought in kids and grandkids and they sat on his lap near the tree in the lobby. “Just to see his eyes, he was so happy he got to be Santa again.” 

After 25 years of creating these meaningful moments, Lynne continues to exemplify Ohio’s Hospice mission of celebrating life’s stories through superior care and superior services. 

Thank you, Lynne, for your dedication to our mission!