Hospice
2009-02-01 14:22:00
Hospice need volunteers
Question: Why does a hospice need volunteers?
Answer: There is more than one answer to your question. First, it is a requirement of Medicare that all hospices must use volunteers. The Medicare regulations state that at least 5% of all patient care hours be provided by volunteers. Currently though the number of volunteer hours nationwide equal 7% of patient care hours. So, as you see, Americans are doing even more than what is required.
That leads me to my second and third points – even if there was no requirement for volunteers, volunteers would still be needed. Because, it is not actually the hospice that needs volunteers, it is the patient that needs volunteers. Also, volunteers are our history. From the very beginning volunteers have made up the fabric of the hospice movement. The first hospices in America were formed by and staffed completely by volunteers. Caring people saw the need to provide a way for people to live their last days and to die in dignity, in their own home if they chose and to be free from pain. It was ordinary people who made this possible because they cared about people in need and decided to do what they could. Not only did they provide care for the dying but they educated the nation and the medical community about the needs of the dying.
Finally, and most importantly, it is volunteers that insure that hospice keeps its heart and its original purpose. It is the presence of volunteers that keeps hospice from becoming an institution or being run like a typical business. It is the presence of volunteers that indicates that we are a community, compassionate and caring for each other and we value life even to the last moments of life.
We are all in this life together and it is up to us as ordinary people to reach out and help one another along the way. One day, you also might need help. Volunteering is a way to “pay it forward.” If you have the capacity to love, you have the ability to volunteer. Don’t worry that you may not be qualified. A hospice will give you training and fit you with the opportunity and service that is right for you.
You may now be asking a different question. “Do I need to volunteer?” The answer to that question is an unmistakable “YES!”
