Marty Troyer, Hospice Chaplain at Care360 Hospice
Sometimes when you call the person who nominated a co-worker for the Hospice Caregiver Award to let them know that their nominee has been selected as the monthly winner, their emotions and excitement overcome them. I have heard people cry on the other end of the phone, get so excited that they drop their phone, and even scream (thankfully, not in my ear).
That is exactly how Lynley Ledger, Business Development Liaison with Care 360 Hospice, reacted when I called to tell her that Marty Troyer had been selected. She was so excited for him. We made arrangements for me to surprise Marty in front of a group of his peers and when I arrived, I walked in to a room filled with more than 40 of Marty’s co-workers and peers. He was definitely surprised.
Here is what Lynley had to say about Marty:
Have you ever met someone and just thought, “My goodness. They are the embodiment of their profession?” No? Well, let me introduce you to Marty Troyer. Several years ago, Marty was a pastor in a church in Central Ohio. But, he felt that something was missing. He followed this calling and decided to become a hospice chaplain. He started working on Care360 Hospice’s team, as one of our first team members. One thing Marty wanted to focus on as a hospice chaplain was diversity and inclusion. He always states that members of the LQBTQ+ community do not seek out hospice care because they are afraid of judgment and discrimination. When working with this population, he ensures each patient is cared for with the correct pronouns, their preferred name, and that they and their loved ones feel respected and included.
Marty is also careful to provide inclusion of patients of other faiths. He reminds us that although he is a Christian by faith, not everyone shares in his beliefs, and he ensures that each patient’s spiritual needs are met. He connects them with resources in our community and educates our team on different mannerisms related to these different faiths. He wants to be sure that we are attuned with the individual cultural and spiritual needs of each patient.
Marty is also an amazing caregiver, because he leads our bedside presence team. Marty helps our team leaders schedule vigil care and educates those caregivers on what to do during bedside presence. He can often be found at bedside himself, even taking shifts in the middle of the night so no one dies alone. Marty ensures our patients and their families feel supported at the true end of life. He has a tendency to be the person to “get things done” in other areas as well. Recently, during a visit, a home patient’s wife was stressed about “all the things” she had to do to care for her spouse. She said, “See, the dishes are piling up. I just don’t have the time.” You know before he left, Marty did the dishes. No one asked him too. He just got it done.
Lastly, Marty supports and watches out for our team. Hospice can be very rewarding but very emotionally draining for the care team. After a patient dies, he follows up with our families to ensure they are grieving appropriately, but he also checks in with our team. He takes each team member aside and makes sure they're handling the death okay. We often focus on the family, but what about the caregiver who bathed the patient several times a week? What about the nurse who saw the patient slowly declining for months? What about the social worker, who held the daughter’s hand as she planned their funeral? He watches over them too. Marty does what it takes. He always goes above and beyond and makes sure that people feel loved, supported and cared for.
He embodies the role of the hospice chaplain beyond expectations. He is an amazing hospice caregiver. He is a true example of what hospice care should be. I am honored to know and work with him. I'm honored to nominate him for the Hospice Caregiver Award.
Congratulations Marty. You truly exemplify what it means to be a Hospice Caregiver.
If you know someone like Marty who deserves recognition as an amazing caregiver, visit our website at https://www.thecaregivingtree.com/hospice-caregiver-award. It takes just a few minutes to tell their story.