Twin Lakes Hospice
Volunteer Program
Volunteers are a vital part of Twin Lakes Hospice. They are the backbone of the hospice team. They allow hospice to provide services it otherwise could not offer.
There’s a lot to gained from being a hospice volunteer
*
Satisfaction, from making a difference
* Greater self-knowledge from insights gained from relationships with patients
and families
*
Spiritual growth from supporting a person through the process of dying.
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One thing all hospice volunteers have in common is a true desire to help. It’s
important for volunteers to be:
*Caring
*Emotionally mature
*Comfortable talking about death and dying
*Committed
Volunteers serve in many ways.
* Caregiver Relief
*
Listening to concerns
*
Keeping the patient company
*
Providing a link to the hospice staff.
*
Being a support person to the patient and family
*
Doing chores around the house
*
Running errands
*
Helping behind the scenes
*
Clerical work
* Fundraising
*
Answering telephones
*
Office housekeeping
*
Baking
*
Gardening
* Other special projects
WHAT IS A HOSPICE VOLUNTEER
*A hospice volunteer is a person with a large amount of practical common sense, and a profound respect for the human body and its needs and comfort, and a willingness to get “Dirty Hands”.
*A hospice volunteer is someone who can stay awake at night so that a tired family member can get some sleep.
*A hospice volunteer is a person willing to wash the dishes, vacuum the rug, help with the laundry, pick up groceries, cook a meal, sit with the children, or take the dog for a walk.
*A hospice volunteer is a person who knocks at the door in spite of fear.
*A hospice volunteer is someone who can bear with strongly expressed emotions without judging the person struggling to deal with those emotions.
*A hospice volunteer is someone who can wear a number of hats—pray with someone, play a game of Scrabble, listen to the same story over and over, sit in silence, touch, and perhaps slowly learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.
*A hospice volunteer is someone who does not make decisions for others.
*A hospice volunteer is someone who affirms life in the face of suffering and death.
*A hospice volunteer is someone who can bear the burdens of others without being overcome by them.
*A hospice volunteer is a person who can remain calm in a crisis.
*A hospice volunteer is a person who stands by a commitment.
*A hospice volunteer is a person who can say and mean, “I will be there”.
*A hospice volunteer is a person who arrives at the stated time and know when it is time to leave.
*A hospice volunteer is a person capable of being honest with one’s self and sensitive about being honest with others.