Volunteer Opportunities
Hospice Volunteers
Providing end of life companionship, respite care, and supportive tasks in the home.
Hospice Volunteer Program
The Hospice Volunteer Program is an integral component of North Country Home Health & Hospice Agency’s Hospice Service. The opportunities hospice volunteers can provide for patients include: companionship and respite care, sitting vigil in the last hours, supportive tasks in the home (i.e., cooking, walking the dog), bereavement support, hospice administrative assistance, and professional services (i.e., massage therapy, reiki, grooming, music therapy – all professional services require proof of licensure/certification depending on profession). You must complete the NCHHHA Hospice Volunteer Training program, offered by NCHHHA, in order to become a hospice volunteer.
Hospice Volunteer Training
Hospice Volunteer training is free and open to community members from all over the counties we serve, who are interested in being involved in the Hospice Program, or who would like to learn more about end-of-life care and issues of death and dying, for personal and/or professional reasons.
The Hospice Volunteer Training is a 4-week course (16-hour training), consolidated into two days, which is offered at various times throughout the year. The range of topics presented and contemplated in the group include: the history and philosophy of hospice, perspectives on death and dying, self-care, communication and listening skills, signs of impending death and comfort care, grief and loss, and care of spirit.
Hospice is a philosophy of care and a delivery system of that care. It is about living and dying well; being as comfortable, complete and at peace as possible. Hospice is acknowledging that we are dying (which is usually the hardest part) and then living until we do. The guiding premise is that people’s needs at their end-of-life are much more than just medical. Although hospice care is directed by physicians and provided primarily by nurses who specialize in end-of-life care, volunteers, social workers, clergy, home health aides and homemakers are all essential contributors to the care and well-being of the patient and their loved ones.
Participating in the hospice training does not commit individuals to become volunteers. Participants can decide after completing the program if they wish to continue and join the NCHHHA Hospice Volunteer Program. The opportunities hospice volunteers can provide for patients include companionship and respite care, sitting vigil in the last hours, supportive tasks in the home (i.e., cooking, walking the dog), bereavement support, hospice administrative assistance, and professional services (i.e., massage therapy, reiki, grooming, music therapy – all professional services require proof of licensure/certification depending on profession).
Your compassion and commitment are welcome for taking part in the end-of-life care in your community.
NEW TRAINING DATES AVAILABLE!
Click here to for details and to register!
If you are ever interested in a Volunteer Opportunity, when we don’t have training dates available, feel free to reach out to us, or complete the form below for a future discussion.
Volunteer Registration & Training Form
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