Patient & Family Services volunteer services may include sitting with the patient while caregivers are away, cooking or light housekeeping, reading, running errands, listening and conversing.
Professional volunteers may be doctors, attorneys, hair stylists, massage therapists, and others.
Bereavement volunteers support families for at least 12 months following the death of a loved one by visiting, making phone calls, sending cards.
Office volunteers are extended staff for Home Hospice, assisting with filing, computer entry, mailings, errands, acknowledgements, and other tasks.
Auxiliary volunteers provide fundraising and support, assisting with events and educational opportunities.
Food Committee volunteers provide an occasional meal for a patient.
Legacy Project volunteers help patients record memories through various means.
Bear Hugs volunteers create the cherished memory bears from articles of the patient’s clothing.
Whispers From Home volunteers receive family messages and create CDs for the patient’s use.
Who can volunteer?
Anyone who wishes to make a significant difference in the lives of dying patients and their family members may become a volunteer. To allow time to heal, we ask that volunteers who have experienced the loss of an immediate family member, or family member served by Home Hospice, wait one year before volunteering.
What training is required?
Training requirements vary depending on the responsibility sought. Home Hospice experts conduct structured training sessions for those volunteers working directly with patients and families, and other volunteers receive on-the-job training. In-service training for all volunteers is offered throughout the year on topics of interest. For more information, call Barb Samuelson at 903-868-9315 or e-mail her at barb.samuelson@homehospice.org. In Cooke County, call Kathi Kirby at 940-665-9891 or e-mail at kathi.kirby@homehospice.org.
What kind of commitment is requested? Home Hospice staff work thoughtfully with volunteers to ensure that assignments are manageable and that volunteers are given appropriate options for service.
HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS: PHOTO GALLERY
