Patient Care Volunteers
Our volunteer Stanley caring for a patient
Patient Volunteers go through a 3 day training program and a background check before they are allowed to work with patients. They can help by taking the time to sit with your family member so that you can make that doctor's appointment or go to the grocery store or enjoy an evening at the movies. They have the time to share a cup of coffee and trade stories, wisdom, or simply share the silence that often accompanies the satisfying knowledge that you are providing the person you love with the best care possible and are doing it in an environment they find friendly, secure, and loving. Your needs define what we do...You have already met the doctors, the nurses, and other health care professionals who are assisting in the care and comfort of your loved one. With all this professional help available, you wonder what is there for a volunteer to do... Spend some time with the patient playing cards, watching a ball game, listening to a life's story, hold a hand? Talk with a troubled family member? Run an errand? Make the coffee? Help write a letter or journal? Or, just give the caregiver a break so they can take some time to themselves. Every family has its own special needs and Hospice chooses from its list of volunteers someone with talents that fit your particular needs. Who are they? They are your neighbors. They hold down various jobs, worship in various places, represent various ethnic groups. They are men and women who share in common the experience of a volunteer training course and continuing education on topics relevant to Hospice Volunteers. Some of them have been intimately involved in the very task you are undertaking as the primary caregiver of a loved one. Others applaud your efforts and desire to do what we can to help and support your journey.
