PATIENT BUDDY - Hospice Volunteer

The patients we serve can use extra attention, to engage them, redirect them, or to just be with them, as they do the work of facing the end of their life. As a Hospice Volunteer, you will visit patients and see how you can be a help to them, while you are there. Some love to chit-chat and tell their life story to someone new. Others are used to watching TV, and just want someone to be with them. At times, patients like to be read to, or listen to their favorite music. Or hear about your day! And we have our share of patients that have forgotten that they can't walk anymore, and for their safety (and for earning the facility staff's appreciation), being present to someone to redirect them (and saving them from falling) is how you can be a friend.

But the onboarding to be a Hospice Volunteer is a process, so this is NOT a short-term activity. And you should have time, most of the time, to visit weekly. Now, visits can be as short as 30 minutes to an hour, but consistency breeds familiarity, which brings on that 'connecting with another', that most Hospice Volunteers are wanting. To get a full sense of what is entailed, contact the Volunteer Coordinator, either directly, or by responding to this post. I will say that Volunteers control 'where they go' and 'when they go', by accepting the right cases for them.

If you feel that you can truly be there for another, who is at the end of their life, we welcome your involvement! Please step forward and respond to this post.