Music Therapy Volunteer (Non-Profit)

• *The Northern New Mexico service area includes Santa Fe, Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, La Mesilla, Santa Cruz, La Puebla, El Llano, Cordova, Chimayo, Espanola, Ohkay Owingeh, Alcalde, El Guique, Medanales, El Dorado, Lamy, Pecos**

Do you enjoy sharing your gifts and talents as a musician? We have a great opportunity for you to play your instrument and/or sing songs to be a source of encouragement to the patients who are coming to the end of their life. Sharing your gift of music and offering companionship to our patients is a sweet way to brighten their day! Volunteers will meet with patients one-on-one in nursing facilities or homes. You do not have to be a professional musician to serve.

Benefits of Music for Hospice Patients Include:

• Can create positive emotional changes and help to improve your mood
• The right type of music has been known to help with memory recall, which can contribute to satisfaction with life
• Has been known to help improve awareness of self and environment
• Can be used to alleviate pain
• Can be used as a social connection between patients and family
• Has been shown to increase or maintain physical, mental and social functioning
• Provides a useful tool to help fall asleep
• Can promote vocal and physical activity
• Promotes physical rehabilitation
• Provide relaxation

Hospice Philosophy of Care

Hospice is a model and philosophy of care that focuses on providing palliative care to patients with life-limiting illness, focusing on palliating patients' pain and other symptoms, attending to their and their family/loved ones' emotional and spiritual needs, and providing support for their caregivers. The hospice philosophy accepts death as the final stage of life and affirms life but does not try to hasten or postpone death. The goal of hospice is not to hurry an impending passing or delay its arrival, but rather to bring an added level of comfort and quality of life to those dealing with a terminal illness. Hospice services are designed to provide comprehensive interdisciplinary team-based palliative care for patients with serious medical illness and a prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its natural course. Hospice services in the United States are an insurance benefit reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Fill out the volunteer application online at www.phs.org/community/volunteer

Pass a criminal background check.

Schedule screening interview with Volunteer Manager by contacting cverduzco@phs.org

Proof of up-to-date COVID vaccinations.

Proof of childhood vaccination records, or titer test.

Current seasonal flu vaccine.

Completion of self-paced online volunteer training.

Skills commensurate with any services performed.

Experience/ training in a related field and/or in volunteer activity.

Comfortable with hospice philosophy, policy and practice.

Good understanding of palliative care and support.

Emotionally stable and willing to provide emotional support to the patient and family facing death, if patient volunteer.

No personal experience with a spouse/parent/child death within the last year highly recommended

Good written and oral communications skills.

Ability to execute a supportive and sensitive approach to patient/family needs.

New Mexico driver’s license and availability of a car.