Finding Purpose in Hospice Social Work

This Social Work Month, we honor njHealth's hospice social workers for their unwavering dedication and the meaningful difference they make every single day.

From the casino floor to a patient bedside

Before Lauree Lapidus ever stepped into the world of hospice work, she spent 23 years in a very different environment—the bustling, high‑energy floors of a casino, where she worked as a dealer and supervisor. It wasn’t until later in life that she discovered the path she was truly meant to follow. “I was a dealer/supervisor at a casino for 23 years before I figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up,” she recalls with honesty and humor.

In her mid‑forties, she made the courageous decision to return to school, dedicating six years to earning the degree that would allow her to become a licensed social worker. Her first role placed her in a hospital intensive care unit—a setting where life, loss, and love intersect every day. There, conversations about death and dying were not rare moments but part of the rhythm of the work. Lauree’s natural comfort in these deeply emotional spaces became a guiding light, pointing her toward what would become her life’s calling: hospice social work.

To Lauree, the hospice team at njHealth Hospice and Palliative Care is more than a workplace—it is a family of compassionate professionals committed to ensuring every patient experiences dignity, comfort, and what she calls “a good death.” She takes immense pride in the way this team supports both patients and their loved ones through some of the hardest goodbyes they will ever face.

People often react with sympathy when she tells them she is a hospice social worker. “Isn’t that too sad?” they ask. Lauree acknowledges the sadness, but she also knows that what she does is profoundly meaningful. “It is also the most powerful work that I have ever done,” she explains. Holding the hand of a patient as they share the story of their life is, to her, a sacred gift—one that allows her to affirm that their life mattered, and that their legacy endures.

Every day, her work reminds her how precious and fragile life is. “I feel so blessed to be able to do the work that I do,” she says, grateful for the opportunity to walk beside people in their final chapter, offering comfort, understanding, and unwavering compassion.

Lauree’s journey—from the casino floor to the quiet, honored space of hospice care—is a testament to the courage it takes to follow one’s calling, no matter when it arrives. Her story is not only inspiring, but a powerful example of how purpose can be discovered at any stage of life, and how one person’s compassion can bring peace to countless others.

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