What is a Hospice Volunteer?
Hospice volunteers are not medically trained professionals but individuals who have a passion for helping people during the most difficult time of their lives. For many, this is a calling, and others volunteer because of their personal experience with a loved one in hospice care. To be able to provide care and comfort with confidence, hospice volunteers receive training so they are able to provide the highest level of care.
The Different Roles of a Hospice Volunteer
No two days are the same for a hospice volunteer, as they’re such vital members of the care team and can assume many roles.
- Companionship. Loneliness can have a major impact on the emotional and physical well-being of our patients, and volunteers can prevent this by being a source of companionship. Volunteers can spend their time reading to patients, watching TV with them, going for walks, or just sitting quietly with them. This is especially beneficial for patients whose family members are unable to visit as often as they would like.
- Practical support. Volunteers can be a great help to the hospice care staff by offering help with running errands, changing bedding, helping with patient grooming, and completing light housekeeping tasks. Sometimes, volunteers can provide administrative support to help the hospice run smoothly. This can include answering phones, filing paperwork, and data entry. Volunteers who have specific skills can also get involved with marketing, fundraising, and photography efforts.
Roles Volunteers Cannot Do
Because volunteers are not medical professionals, there are some tasks they are prohibited from doing for the safety of patients and themselves:
- Wound care
- Operating medical equipment
- Administering medication and applying IVs
- Taking vitals
- Driving patients
- Providing mobility exercises like full-body massages
- Personal grooming that could injure the patient or break the skin
At Generations Health Care, Inc., our volunteers are not a replacement for trained hospice staff.
