Jul 17, 2014

Help those with life limiting illness. Become a Community Hospice Volunteer!

Community Hospice
Volunteer Opportunities
https://www.thewashingtonhome.org/volunteer.html


Community Hospice is committed to providing quality end-of-life care for patients in the advanced stages of life-limiting illness, ensuring that they live in comfort and with dignity. Our volunteers play a very important and valued role in the care of our patients.

Below are several areas in which one may choose to provide volunteer assistance. [Note that volunteer experiences can be excellent learning experiences for first year students who don't yet qualify to earn academic credit for internships, as well for students whose schedules don't permit the time commitment required for many internships.]

HOME CARE VOLUNTEER: Provide non-medical support through companionship and friendly visits to patients and caregivers in their home or long term care facility. Visit may consist of reading, assisting with letter writing, light preparation of meals, helping families with limited shopping and errands, listening to a patient share their thought, or just being there to hold a hand.

INPATIENT UNIT VOLUNTEER (IPU): Provide non-medical support services to patients in the IPU and their families to include: companionship, sitting with actively dying patients, providing emotional support, assisting by serving patient's meals, changing water in pitchers, and assisting in taking patients outside and around the facility. IPU volunteers also assist with front desk duties, to include answering the phone and greeting visitors.

HOUR VOLUNTEER: Provides support and a caring presence for hospice patients and their families when a patient is at the very end of life. This role would be supplemental to the Nurse, Social Worker, Chaplain, or other hospice professionals attending a patient. Requires advanced training.

ADMINISTRATIVE VOLUNTEER: Provide clerical assistance to the hospice staff, including answering phones and dispatching calls from families to the appropriate nurse or staff member, filing, assisting with mailings, organizing medical supplies, assembling administrative packets and other tasks on an as-needed basis.

QUALITY ASSURANCE VOLUNTEER: Makes calls to patients and/or family members to follow up on their care and assist in addressing any questions or concerns.

BEREAVEMENT VOLUNTEER: Makes follow up calls to family members of patients who have died. (Requires advanced training).

These opportunities are ongoing and located in Washington DC and Prince George County. Training will occur on September 25th, 26th, and 27th.

For more information about becoming a volunteer with Community Hospice of Washington or Maryland, please click on the logo above or contact Jordan Asrat at (301) 560-6006 or email yasrat@thewashingtonhome.org

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