 | Carreen Simon is the Director of Volunteer Services and Public Relations for Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. She has worked with volunteers since she moved to Wichita in 2001
and has been a volunteer for various
agencies since 1992. Carreen can be contacted at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice by
phone at 316-265-9441 or by email at
csimon@hynesmemorial.org. |
Hospice
2005-02-01 09:22:00
Returning the kindness of hospice
: My family was served by hospice during my father's illness and I was very impressed with and grateful for the care he was given. How can I return this kindness?
ANSWER: One way to return this kindness is by volunteering. Under hospice guidelines, five percent of patient care must come from volunteers. These volunteers are part of an interdisciplinary team working to "de-institutionalize" the dying experience.Many people shy away from volunteering, fearing that they don't have the right skills, or that they simply don't have the time. In most cases these issues are simple misconceptions.A hospice volunteer can take many forms and does not have to commit to serving much time at all. There are volunteers who give one hour a month and those who give one day a week. It all depends on the volunteer and what he or she wants to put into it or what amount of time they want to put into it. If you can spare one hour a month, most hospice programs would be glad to have that hour. If you can spare more, even better. For the commitment-phobic, there are also volunteers who volunteer on an as-needed basis for specific projects.Skills that are required of a hospice volunteer depend on the job given to the volunteer. I would recommend volunteering for a hospice that has a listing of their volunteer jobs and will provide any necessary training. I will describe just a few of the possibilities that exist at our hospice. They may have different names at different hospices, but the concepts will be similar.Staff Support Volunteers are vital to the day-to-day operation of a hospice. These volunteers will provide clerical and office help and may do things like answer phones, stuff envelopes, prepare mailings or help with filing. Education Volunteers may be those who man booths at health fairs or make presentations about hospice to civic groups. If the hospice program that you volunteer for has an internal pharmacy, they may be in need of volunteers to deliver medications to the home of patients. When most people envision work as a hospice volunteer, that vision may include working directly with patients or their families. These are called Patient/Family Support Volunteers. These volunteers are required to go through a more thorough training process. They may do things like: offer hand massage to a patient or caregiver; read to a patient who can no longer read on their own; play a musical instrument for the patient; play music on CD for entertainment or comfort; play board or card games with the patient; visit with, listen to or help the patient journal life stories; provide respite so the caregiver can go out of the house for short periods; prepare, freeze and deliver prepared meals to families who are on vigil at the end of life; or simply to be present in the home. There are also Bereavement Volunteers who are specially trained to serve as a healing presence to the families of those who have died. Because each hospice is different, the requirements placed on volunteers is different from place to place. Don't be surprised if you are asked to fill out an application, provide references or take a TB test. Since you may be working with patients, it is important to protect their safety as well as yours. You will also be asked to be respectful of privacy rights by not sharing information that you come to know in the process of volunteering.Whether you put in one hour a month, work on one project, or become a long term volunteer, you will find that you get back twofold what you put into it.
