Alheli Lopez

Hospice Social Worker, Southwestern Palliative Care and Hospice

AS PEOPLE APPROACH the end of their lives, Alheli Lopez is there with them.

“As a hospice social worker, I have the privilege of walking alongside patients and families as they journey through the end-of-life process. I provide emotional support, endof-life education and reassurance, caregiver support and life affirmation and encouragement.”

Lopez, who received a master’s degree in social work from Boston University, has been practicing social work for seven years, the last two at Southwestern Palliative Care and Hospice.

“The best part about my role is helping a patient and their family so that the person passes peacefully. I help patients and families feel like they’ve been seen and heard. They are not alone in this process. I enjoy hearing about their life stories and learning from them. I am amazed by how families love and support each other at the end of life. It is an honor to walk that journey with them.”

Her most memorable moments come when she witnesses faith and hope amid grief, she says.

“I had a patient with a spouse who had difficulty coming to terms with her terminal illness. The whole team supported him and walked along that journey with him, his anger, his sadness, denial and depression. As a team, we were able to bring in all the support for him to spend quality time with her and be a loving husband to her during her last days. He sang to her and played the piano for her as they loved music and used to entertain. It’s a genuine honor to have families allow me to be part of this journey with them and see them move to a place of acceptance and peace.”

She lives by a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that you cannot sincerely try to help another without helping yourself.”

As for advice to young professionals, she urges people to find “what you love and do it relentlessly. Prevent burnout by setting boundaries and have hobbies and plans to look forward to after work to maintain a healthy work-life balance.”

Lopez has ambitious plans. “I plan to continue growing professionally by attaining my Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My goal is to give back to my community by identifying gaps and developing agencies and programs to meet the needs of my community. I hope to open a nonprofit organization in the upcoming years.”

She added: “I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the Yuma community. I left Yuma to seek higher education in social justice and health care. I always planned on coming back and giving back to my community in which I was born and raised as a first generation Mexican-American college graduate. I am hopeful for the continued improvement of access to education to our low-income populations and implementation of early education programs for children and young families. I will continue to provide empowerment to the most vulnerable populations in Yuma County because together we are Yuma Strong.”