Volunteers


Hospice Volunteers – Making each day count

Why should I consider being a hospice volunteer?
Because hospice volunteers do important and rewarding work!

Patients and their families depend on hospice care.
No one else provides the kind of services hospice does. By attending to the needs of both patients and their loved ones, hospice care can be a huge comfort for the entire family.
Hospices depend on volunteers.
Without the efforts of volunteers, hospices could not continue their important work.
Volunteers are the backbone of the hospice team.
They allow hospice to provide services it otherwise could not offer. In addition, volunteers usually:

Form close bonds with patients and family members. Patients often tell volunteers things they feel they can’t tell their loved ones. Family members may confide concerns to the volunteer that they’d rather not share with the dying person.

Help people communicate by encouraging each person to say what he or she needs to say. When important things go unsaid, survivors may feel guilty for a long time. Volunteers help open the way for people to talk honestly.

Grieve with the family once the patient dies. Seeing the family all the way through the patient’s death is part of the volunteer’s role. Volunteers may attend the funeral or memorial service. They may also be involved in bereavement counseling.

HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS ARE SPECIAL PEOPLE!
One thing all hospice volunteers have in common is a true desire to help. It’s important for volunteers to be:

Caring
Volunteers focus on the needs of patients and family members, and how to best meet them.

Emotionally mature
Working as a hospice volunteer can be an intense experience. Volunteers must be emotionally up to the task.

Comfortable talking about death and dying
Hospice workers approach death and dying in an open, direct and practical way. This can help patients face the emotional, spiritual and financial preparations they need to make.

Committed
Volunteers are as dedicated to their work as other health-care professionals.

Volunteers are thoroughly trained.
Training time varies, but it may be up to 30 hours. It usually covers:

The goals and philosophy of hospice care All volunteers are taught the hospice approach to death and dying and how to put those ideas into practice.

The psychological impact of death Volunteers are more effective when they understand what patients and their loved ones are going through.

Patient care Training addresses a wide range of patient needs, including:
Physical care
Emotional support
Emergency procedures
Procedures to follow after a patient dies
Universal precautions (to protect against infection).

Terminal illness Volunteers get an overview of some of the most common terminal illnesses. This helps them understand the disease process and its effect on the patient.

Communication skills Volunteers learn how to listen effectively, which may be the most important service a volunteer can provide. Volunteers also learn to talk openly about issues related to death and dying.

Family relationships Learning about ways family members typically relate to one another can help volunteers deal more effectively with the individuals and issues involved.

Patient and family rights
Volunteers learn the importance of respecting patient and family rights - including confidentiality. Setting boundaries If the volunteer becomes too involved in the life of the patient, he or she may lose the advantage of a more objective perspective.
Volunteers serve in many ways.
Duties vary, but volunteers are usually counted on to:
Listen to concerns
Volunteers try to help patients find their own answers to important questions.

Keep the patient company The volunteer's presence can be extremely comforting to the patient, even if the volunteer only sits quietly in the room. Volunteers often read to patients or suggest activities they could do together. Family members may use this time for a much-needed respite.

Provide a link to the hospice staff Volunteers report on the needs of the patient and family. They're an important source of information for the hospice team.

Be a support person Volunteers are often the ones patients and family members turn to for comfort, help and information.

Do chores around the house This helps take pressure off family members. Chores could be anything from walking the dog or raking leaves to helping with housekeeping or baby-sitting.

Run errands These might include:
Picking up medical supplies
Grocery shopping
Provide physical care
For example, volunteers may:
Help the patient do things he or she can't do alone (dressing, bathing, etc.) Give massages, if licensed and permitted to do so

Volunteers also help out behind the scenes
They support the hospice organization by:
Typing and doing other clerical work
Raising money
Answering telephones
Serving on advisory committees
Coordinating support services

It's those little (and not so little) things volunteers do that make hospice care a positive experience.

DeltaHelp

Can my pain & symptoms be controlled at home?
Pain and other systems can usually be controlled in the patient's home. If a symptom becomes a problem, the hospice nurse can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There have been great advances in pain and symptom control in the past few years. Most symptoms can be controlled without the use of injections or IV medication. The hospice nurse will assess your pain and symptom control at each visit. Hospice medical directors are always available to adjust medications. contact us.


A hospice patient even has the chance to return to a curative treatment if they so choose. contact us to find out more.

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