Volunteer Involvement

How Hospice Volunteers Can Help You

Having a serious illness in the family makes it harder to get necessary things done, both the usual household responsibilities and those tasks pertaining directly to the sick person. This is where a volunteer can help. These are some ways you might use a volunteer:

• Transportation of a client
• Companion for client when you are away
• Shopping for family
• Delivering medication to the home

For family peace of mind and for the patient’s safety, all volunteers are interviewed and trained for tasks. They have entered hospice work because they are caring, compassionate people who want to be of help to you.

While in your home, a volunteer could help in some of these ways:

• Talking with the client - just listening might be the most important job our volunteers can do
• Preparing a light meal
• Reading aloud anything the client wishes to hear
• Writing letters as a client dictates
• Simply being there to respond to the client’s requests while family members nap or run errands

Friends of Hospice of Jefferson County

Friends of Hospice of Jefferson County, a 501c organization, serves Hospice of Jefferson County by:

• Training local community members to act as volunteers to serve the needs of clients and their families
• Raising funds to assist Hospice of Jefferson County clients and families to provide unmet expenses when needed

To learn more about Friends of Hospice of Jefferson County, please visit their website.

Resources

For more information regarding Hospice programs visit:

• The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services