COMPASSIONATE, TRAINED VOLUNTEERS ARE THE
HEART AND SOUL OF INSPIRATION HOSPICE.
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Interested in becoming
a volunteer?
Click here
to download a
Volunteer Application
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| WHAT DOES A VOLUNTEER DO? |
Hospice Volunteers Can Do Just About Anything!
- Specially trained 11th hour volunteers spend time at the bedside while a
patient is “actively dying,” ensuring that no one dies alone.
- Listening to a patient’s concerns.
- Being a comforting and supportive presence.
- Hold a hand.
- Bake a cake.
- Listen to cherished memories.
- Pat a shoulder. Give a hug.
- Touch a heart.
- Change a life (maybe your own).
- Engaging in the patient’s hobbies; for example, playing a board game or
discussing current events.
- Informing other hospice staff of the needs of the hospice patient and family.
- Running errands or doing light housekeeping for the patient and family.
- Encouraging the patient to tell her/his life story and recording it on cassette
tapes provided for them.
- Allowing time for the caregiver to take care of her/himself.
- Providing bereavement support to families following patient’s death.
(Additional training provided.)
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Need more information?
Click here |
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Our volunteers offer terminally ill patients and their families
comfort, support and companionship during a patient’s most
challenging days, weeks and months. Our volunteers report they
are motivated by a desire to give something back, but soon find that
the spiritual and emotional rewards they receive far outweigh the
time and caring they contribute.
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WHO CAN BE AN INSPIRATION HOSPICE
VOLUNTEER?
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Men, women and teens of all ages and backgrounds join the
hospice team to offer services to patients in their homes or in
nursing homes. Volunteers simply need a caring heart and a
willingness to serve. Our extensive volunteer training program
provides an awareness of patients’ needs and prepares them to
participate fully with the hospice team.
Volunteers are never asked to do something they are not
comfortable doing. If the intensity of working with patients and
loved ones is not the right fit, you can support our work in a host of
other important ways: Even in our office!
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Read the latest and past editions of
"Flashes of Inspiration"
The Inspirations Hospice Newsletter
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
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WHAT TRAINING WILL I RECEIVE?
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If you choose to work directly with patients and loved ones, you will
experience the fulfillment of helping to support patients and families through
one of life’s most complex passages. All volunteers receive extensive training
to ensure they feel comfortable with their tasks. Training covers the following
areas:
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- Philosophy of hospice care.
- A comprehensive overview of services offered by the hospice.
- Physical, emotional, social and spiritual issues that people can encounter at
the end of life.
- Individual needs, including emotional support, emergency procedures,
universal precautions and procedures to follow after the hospice patient dies.
- An overview of chronic and life-limiting illnesses.
- Effective communication skills when speaking with the patient and family
members.
- Information about interpersonal family issues and relationship.
- Boundaries for the hospice volunteer and the patient and family.
- Basic information about grief and loss.
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