Hospice Volunteers....

Making each day count--

Bringing light--and love--

Into people's lives

Why should I consider being a Hospice Volunteer?

• Because hospice volunteers do important and rewarding work!

• Because patients and their families depend on volunteers as part of their Hospice care. No one else provides the kind of services that hospice does. By attending to the needs of both patients and their loved ones, volunteer support can be a huge comfort for the entire family during a difficult time.

• Hospice depends on volunteers. Without the efforts of volunteers, hospice could not continue its important work.

There's a lot to be gained from being a Hospice Volunteer...

• Satisfaction from making a difference in people's lives, and receiving their gratitude in return.

• Greater self-knowledge from insights gained from relationships with patients and their families.

• Spiritual growth from supporting a person through the process of dying.

• Greater self-knowledge gained through supporting people in crisis.

Volunteers are the backbone of the hospice team.

They allow hospice to provide services it otherwise could not offer.

Volunteers usually:

• Form close bonds with patients and family members.

• Help people communicate by encouraging each person to say what he or she needs to say. 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. They may attend the funeral or memorial service.

• Stay in contact with the family for over a year after the passing. This aspect of being a volunteer is very satisfying and gives the whole process a feeling of purpose and completion.

    * Male volunteers, in particular, can provide a unique aspect of care to terminally ill men. They encourage male patients to recount their careers and celebrate their accomplishments. They can "talk shop". Male volunteers also help male patients face their fears without embarrassment.

Volunteers are thoroughly trained. Training covers:

• The goals and philosophy of hospice care.

• The psychological impact of death.

• Patient care.

• Terminal illness.

• Communication skills.

• Family relationships.

• Patient and family rights.

Volunteers serve in many ways. Duties vary, but volunteers are usually counted on to:

• Listen to concerns.

• Keep the patient company.

• Provide a link to the hospice staff.

• Be a support person.

• Administrative/clerical support.

• Yard work/painting.

• Fund-raising.

How do I become a Hospice Volunteer?

• Call (740) 654-7077 for an application or click here for a printable online version.

• Pre-training interview.

• Complete training.

Helping a patient approach the end of life in the familiar and comfortable atmosphere of their home is often a very real blessing for both patient and family, as well as the volunteer.

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

Consider becoming a

Hospice Volunteer!

Being a Volunteer

It's not for money. It's not for fame,

It's not for any personal gain.

It's not for love of fellow man,

It's just to lend a helping hand.

It's just to give a tithe of self,

It's for that feeling deep inside.

It's that reward down in your heart,

It's that feeling that you've been a part

Of helping others far and near

That makes you be a volunteer!

(Author Unknown)