What do hospice volunteers do?
Working as a hospice volunteer can be a very rewarding experience. There are many ways to volunteer in hospice such as sharing companionship, to running errands, to providing much-needed respite for caregivers. Opportunities include:
- Reading/writing letters
- Performing light housekeeping
- Helping with activities/hobbies
- Preparing a meal
- Companionship
- Providing respite for the caregivers
- Beareavement support
- We Honor Veterans program
- Gatehouse singers
- Last moments
Volunteers enable us to provide services we could not otherwise. Providing a listening ear and friendly conversation can open the path for people to talk honestly about their questions, concerns, and fears.
How do I become a volunteer?
We specifically designed hospice training program where aspiring volunteers will learning from each of our interdisciplinary team members the skills they will need.
Training and support in:
- Comprehension of hospice and palliative care
- Patient and family rights
- Importance of communication, listening, and boundaries
- Aspects of death and stages of grief
- Physical and emotional self care]
- Spiritual considerations at end of life
- Safety precautions and HIPAA regulations
- Roles of our interdisciplinary team
Volunteer minimum requirements:
- Volunteers must be 16 years or older
- Must complete specific training class held twice a year (typically in Spring & Fall)
- Clearances required: Criminal Background, Child Abuse, and FBI Fingerprinting
- Commit to at least one year of serving
