Volunteering with Supportive Care
Volunteers provide important services to hospice organizations and the people they serve. Whether it’s providing companionship to a person in the final months and weeks of life, offering support to family members and caregivers, or helping with community outreach and fundraising, the contributions of volunteers are essential to the important work provided by our nation’s hospice programs.
Hospice care in the U.S. was founded by volunteers and there is continued commitment to volunteer service – in fact, Medicare regulations require that hospices have trained volunteers as a part of the services they provide.
More than 400,000 trained volunteers provide more than 19 million hours of service every year.
By being a hospice volunteer, you can gain great personal satisfaction from knowing that you have made an impact in another person’s life and in your community.
Supportive Hospice Care offer’s support, companionship and practical, compassionate help. Some interact directly with patients and families. Others prefer to work behind the scenes in the office setting. As a volunteer, you help determine which tasks you’re best suited to perform. The tasks of volunteers include:
- Helping with office support tasks at the agency
- Running errands for patients and families
- Staying with patients so family members can get a much-needed rest
- Reading, or providing a comforting touch
- Playing or singing soothing music to patients
- Keeping vigil with patients in their final hours
- Providing a friendly visit to lift a patient’s spirits
- Providing special veteran volunteer support to patients who are veterans
- These and other tasks are why hospice volunteers are such an essential part of the Supportive Hospice Care Experience.
* We suggest volunteers wait a minimum of one year following the death of a loved one to volunteer. This allows adequate time to make appropriate adjustments after a significant personal loss.
Becoming a Volunteer
When you become a volunteer, we will provide you with a detailed orientation to the hospice program, so you will fully understand our caring philosophy and goals and have the skills needed to assist patients and their families. As a Supportive Hospice volunteer, you can donate as much or as little of your time as you desire. The duties vary so that you find an area or service that is uniquely suited to you.
Every hospice will have a screening process and volunteer training program. The best way to begin is to learn more about volunteering:
Contact Supportive Hospice for more details.
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