Volunteer Reminders: (updated 01/07)

Patient Contact Record sheets & Time Sheets turned in bi-monthly on alternating Fridays. (If we have no paperwork to back up your visits, you were never there.) Call the Volunteer Coordinator for specific due dates.

Patient Care volunteers with current patient assignments to attend biweekly IDT meetings. (Call the Volunteer Coordinator at 652-1318 to confirm the IDT schedule and your attendance)

Wish List (Updated January 2005)

With the hustle and bustle of daily life, many people just do not have the time to volunteer on a regular basis. Yet their hearts yearn to help in some way and that is when we get the question -"What can we do to help hospice and their patients?" This wish list is here to help you decide what you can do to help.

With the onset of a terminal illness, many families place items and tasks on the back burner, then medical bills begin to escalate, as do crisis after crisis. We supply this list to give you an idea of types of items and tasks that would be useful to patients and their families.

Keep in mind, that due to budget constraints - families (and even hospice) wouldn't or couldn't buy these items on their own.

Hospice Families:

• Gift Cards from local grocery stores ($15 - $25 dollar amounts is best)
• Gift Card from local book store
• Toothpaste
• Socks (white tube type socks)
• Disposable Cameras with flash
• Gift certificate for local restaurants

Here is an idea of how the items are used for patients and their families.

Patients experience high levels of anxiety, when they feel that their family is not being taken care of physically, emotional and financially.

To help alleviate some of the families anxiety over financial situations, personal care items ( soap, lotion, mouthwash, socks, etc) are given directly to the family for use with the patient. The gift cards are another example that help alleviate some of the burden. The caregiver has 24 hour responsibility for the patient, with gift certificates to local restaurants, the caregiver has an outlet for relaxing without the burden of worrying financially. Not to mention the mental and emotional boost knowing that someone cared enough to give so that they can take a break without the financial worry.

Disposable cameras with flash help capture memories that would otherwise be lost.

If you have 1- 4 hours per week, there is the gift of time:

Historian: Volunteers to update and maintain Hospice memorabilia in a Scrapbook.

Bereavement Volunteers to do Bereavement Visits

Quilters: volunteers to piece material that has been donated for a quilt; a group of quilters is needed to piece the quilt together.

Men who are willing to volunteer to work with our male patients. This may be sitting quietly, reading, listening to music with patient, talking about a favorite hobby with patient, or taking short walks outside with patient.

Special Event Planner: A volunteer who enjoys planning small events. Contact the volunteer coordinator for more details.

Volunteer Weekend: A volunteer who is willing to sit with a patient, so the caregiver may worship on Sunday morning.

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BEREAVEMENT CARE Volunteer
The Bereavement care volunteer is a member of the hospice team. He/She provides continuity of services for the family after patient’s death under direction of Bereavement Services Coordinator.
Maintain regular contact with bereaved for six months or until volunteer and Bereavement Services Coordinator agree service is no longer needed. Minimum contact is two times per month, with at least one personal visit per month. Evaluate coping abilities of survivors and follow-up based on needs. Discuss grief and encourage expression of feelings. Accept and support survivor’s spiritual beliefs and meanings; contact Chaplain Coordinator as needed. Attend Bereavement Team Support meetings as scheduled.

BEREAVEMENT TELEPHONE CONTACT Volunteer
The Bereavement Telephone Contact Volunteer will help provide continuity of services to the bereaved after the patient’s death. He/she will provide support to local bereaved for at least one year after the patient’s death via telephone contacts. Make initial telephone contact with bereaved within thirty (30) days of death of patient. Following initial contact, maintain telephone contact with bereaved on a monthly basis for six months. Reports any problems or concerns immediately to appropriate staff. Attend Bereavement Team Support meetings as scheduled.

CHAPLAIN Volunteer
Hospice seeks to provide a team of trained professionals available to the patient/family unit on a 24-hour, 7-day a week, on-call basis. The Chaplain Volunteer will participate in the basic care team as needed to meet the spiritual/religious needs of the patient/family throughout the admission of the patient and for the family during bereavement.
Represent Hospice, not the local church, offering spiritual support to the patient/family in keeping with the patient/family's belief system.

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DIRECT PATIENT CARE VOLUNTEER
Patient/Family Care Volunteers are Hospice team members and help to provide continuity of services for the patient and family and to extend the overall scope of services of the program under the direction of the Patient Care Coordinator. Some activities may include: Make visits to patients/families at home to offer support, encouragement and help through respite for family members; errands such as shopping, laundry; occasional light housekeeping or meal preparation at volunteer’s discretion; maintain contact with patients and families when a patient becomes hospitalized; and participate in the care plan developed for the patient/family. Attend patient care conferences when involved with a patient/family to share knowledge of that patient/family and to assist in a coordinated team approach. Maintain close communication between team members providing patient’s care. Keep team members informed of patient and family’s progress or problems and continuing emotional/physical/social needs through telephone reports and care conferences.

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Following are a few examples of Special Services Volunteer Activities...

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