We encourage all age groups 14+ years old to volunteer.
Hospice volunteers are essential members of the hospice team. Hospice volunteers provide companionship to people living with a serious illness who might be near the end of life. They help family caregivers in a variety of ways. Hospices also rely on volunteers to help with office work, fundraising, community outreach, and other operational areas.
Hospice Volunteers are Trained
All potential hospice volunteers are screened to make sure this kind of service seems to be a good fit for the volunteer and for the hospice organization. Hospice volunteers receive training to ensure they feel comfortable with their tasks. Training programs vary in length and can be different from organization to organization. Generally, a hospice volunteer training program covers the following areas:
- Philosophy of hospice care
- A comprehensive overview of services offered by the hospice
- Physical, emotional, social, and spiritual issues that people can encounter at the end of life
- Individual needs, including emotional support, emergency procedures, universal precautions, and procedures to follow when serving a patient or their inner circle of caregivers
- An overview of chronic and life-limiting illnesses
- Effective communication skills when speaking with the patient and their inner circle
- Information about interpersonal family issues and relationships
- Boundaries for the hospice volunteer and the patient and family
- Basic information about grief and loss
Hospice Volunteers Can Do . . . Just About Anything!
As a hospice volunteer you will be given choices as to how much and what types of things you want to do. Some examples of typical volunteer duties are:
- Listening to a patient’s concerns
- Being a comforting and supportive presence
- Engaging in the patient’s hobbies, for example, playing a board game or discussing current events
- Reading or writing down memories for the patient or helping with correspondence
- Telling other hospice staff the needs of the hospice patient and family/inner circle
- Running errands or doing light housekeeping for those receiving hospice care at home
- Encouraging the patient to tell their life story
- Transporting a patient to physician visits or shopping
- Providing assistance with personal care such as bathing or transferring from a chair to bed, if the volunteer has been properly trained to do so
- Providing time for the caregiver to take care of her/himself
It is important to know that hospice volunteers are never asked to do something they are not comfortable doing.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: $1.00 per hour
Schedule:
Ability to Commute:
- Pearland, TX 77581 (Required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person