Hospice Care: Volunteer Impact & Insights in 2023

For patients and their families, the term hospice can be frightening. Volunteers frequently come to training with their fears. Patients and families can begin to realize how the formerly “frightening” word has evolved into an understanding that hospice is about living after receiving our services, care, and education.

Hospice volunteers are essential to hospice care organizations like Safe Hands. They can provide companionship to patients when family and friends cannot visit, assist hospice care companies with administrative tasks, and even more. Volunteers help hospice institutions in delivering excellent patient care.

Role of Volunteers

Hospice volunteers can provide their time and talents in various ways to help chronically ill patients in their community. Whether it’s offering direct visits to patients and caregivers or offering administrative support in the office, hospice volunteers’ empathy helps patients and their families feel more at ease as they approach the end of life.

Direct care volunteers and indirect care volunteers are the two types of hospice volunteers. Direct care volunteers visit patients, assist with small domestic chores, play music for them, and allow family caregivers to have a much-needed rest.

At the same time, their loved one is comforted by the volunteer’s company. Indirect care volunteers help with administrative work, mailings, and planning and set up for special events at the office. Safe Hands provides training to all hospice volunteers to equip them for their roles and obligations. The training covers the following topics:

1. What is Hospice care
2. Description of Hospice services
3. How to engage with patients and their families
4. Description of Personal boundaries when dealing with patients and families
5. An introduction of how to help patients and their families emotional needs
6. An understanding of patient privacy

On initial visits, the hospice volunteer manager will accompany volunteers to introduce patients and their families.

These hospice volunteer visitations lift patients’ moods and give family caregivers more support and peace of mind. Volunteering your time is a profoundly compassionate gift.