Twin brothers, Erich, left, and Garrett Schmaler chat with hospice patient Grace Green at Saline Evangelical Home. The boys are having an amazing effect on the patients due to their age and youthful energy, according to the volunteer coordinator.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Working in a hospice may not be for everyone. But for Erich and Garrett Schmaler, they have embraced their volunteer work at Saline Evangelical Home, where, Garrett says, they “try to do the best that you can to try to make these people's lives better.”

The 16-year-old twins from Dexter recently started volunteering at the hospice, where their youthful enthusiasm brings joy to the residents when they see them.

"You see these little old ladies smiling with renewed energy when they walk in," said Jenni Hawes, volunteer coordinator for St. Joseph Mercy Hospice. "They say these boys are so handsome, and they are so talented."

Hawes recently began rebuilding the volunteer program and is recruiting volunteers of all ages. She is trying to educate the community on the benefits of volunteering.

"I think volunteering is just a wonderful gift you can give a lot of people," she said. "I want these boys to fully enjoy volunteering and to understanding the philosophy of volunteering and how it can really make a difference in your life. I've watched the boys hold these people's hands, put their arms around them, play instruments for them, and even share stuff from their own families. It was just a real joy to see that."

The boys spend about a half hour with each of their patients. Sometimes they bring poetry and read to the patients or play their instruments. And sometimes they don't do anything but sit with the person, just being a comforting presence.

"Usually the last thing to go with our patients is the hearing and the sensitivity of knowing that someone is there," says Hawes. "Just sitting side by side, holding their hand, rubbing their back, or speaking softly is often enough. The patient knows they are there. Then there's the other side where the patient wants to talk and have a good conversation."

Garrett and Erich are involved with sports and music. Garrett plays tennis and rugby as well as the viola for the Dexter High School Orchestra while Erich plays rugby and performs for the Dexter band as the clarinetist.

The boys’ interest in the medical field led them to Saline Evangelical Home.

"I started looking for places to volunteer," says Garrett. "I came across hospice, and read about what it does. I thought this would be a really good opportunity to go and see these things really fleshed out and gain experience."

Hawes says there are many ways to volunteer for the hospice.

"Hospice to us is helping someone with his or her quality of life," she says. "It's comfort care."

Aside from providing comfort, volunteers assist with other tasks to help the resident achieve his or her goals.

"Sometimes they help them do a life review, putting together scrapbooks or helping them write letters to their families,” Hawes said.

“It's not always direct patient care though. We have people do meal preparation from home and drop it off where needed. We run errands or go grocery shopping. We do whatever we can to make it as easy as possible for their family.

And when the patient passes away, “our job doesn’t end,” says Hawes, adding bereavement teams work with and “follow the families 13 months after."

For Garrett and Erich, they haven't faced losing many patients yet since they are newer to volunteering.

"It's tough, but you go in knowing that that's the possibility that it will happen. You don't think about it too much but it's always there in the back of your mind," said Garrett. "You just try to do the best that you can to try to make these people's lives better."

Patients share their lives with volunteers Residents such as Ellen Howell was one person who benefited greatly from the hospice and the efforts of volunteers.

She passed away on June 24 of natural causes at the age of 106, after a two-year stay at Saline Evangelical Home.

"When she was in her 90s she would threaten me that if I ever put her in a home she would disown me," says Ron Howell, her son. "By the time she was 104 and she got in that home, with the fantastic care she got she knew she was in the right place."

Ellen Howell was a bright, sharp woman who remained lively until her death. Having lived a very full and blessed life, she needed to be in a place where she could be comfortable.

"We searched quite a few places before we put her in the one in Saline," says Ron Howell. "My advice is to be sure it's a place you would like to be in yourself."

Howell was well loved in the home. Born in Sri Lanka, she moved to Scotland after her mother died when Howell was 2. She eventually moved to Toronto. After she met her American husband, she immigrated to the United States.

"Just talking to Ellen and hearing all of the amazing things she had seen in her life…" says Hawes. "Volunteers can benefit just as greatly from the patients, as the patients do from them."

Direct-patient care is not for everyone, though.

"It takes a special person to do hospice," says Hawes.

"You have to be a strong-willed person to understand that someone is grieving, and nothing is personal. You have to be a very selfless person and you have to want to make a difference."

Despite what some of their friends may think of their volunteering, the twins know their work makes an impact - and they’re getting something in return, too.

"You get to actually help people and make a difference in people's lives," says Erich. "You benefit from it. It's wonderful."

Pamela Gossiaux is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.