Veterans Needed to Help Veterans on Hospice

Many of our patients at Interim Healthcare Hospice served our country in the armed forces. As a Level 3 community partner with We Honor Veterans, Interim recognizes the unique needs of our veteran patients and wants to offer them the excellent care they deserve in every way. As they face chronic and potentially terminal illnesses, veterans in hospice care often need to reflect back on their lives and find meaning. Sometimes they feel that only someone else with military service can truly understand their experiences. We are looking for veteran volunteers who can offer a listening ear and an empathetic presence for our veteran patients.

You would visit hospice patients and families in their homes, bring donated gifts, sometimes read to them or watch TV with them, or stay with the patient while family members go out for a much-needed break for up to four hours. You might also assist patients with legacy projects for their families to keep - recording their stories in an autobiography journal, making thumbprint stones that can be turned into necklaces or keychains, or doing handprint paintings with the patient and young children in their family, making memories as well as art that they can treasure. Volunteers are vital to the mission of Interim Healthcare Hospice - offering whole-person-centered care to those facing life-limiting illness and their families. If you don't have experience with hospice or know the "right" thing to say, don't worry! The most important thing is to be a caring presence with them, and sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all.

Volunteers will be thoroughly trained with a hospice volunteer orientation and a chance to have all your questions addressed. We would love to have you join our hospice team!