One of Hospice of Central Pennsylvania’s longest and proudest traditions is our group of, dedicated, well-trained volunteers. Hundreds of men and women have provided caring, compassionate support for our patients and their families during our more than twenty-five years of operations. Our volunteers play many roles, and their work is invaluable.

Roles of a Hospice Volunteer

Characteristics of a Hospice Volunteer

Volunteers are special to us and to the families with whom they work. Yet a good volunteer does not need extraordinary skills. They need only feel a dedication to helping others and a compassion for a dying patient and the family and friends caring for their loved one.

While there is an age minimum (18 years of age), there is no one who is too old to volunteer. To be comfortable in this role, one must be emotionally stable and mature enough to be able to talk openly about death and loss. We also ask that you have your own transportation and be able to give 4 - 6 hours per week, on average, after training.

In return, volunteers experience satisfaction in serving others and often personal and spiritual growth.

Volunteer Training

Volunteers are an integral member of the patient care team. In order to prepare them for their responsibilities, we offer extensive training. In addition to an orientation to the philosophy of hospice care, we address a wide variety of end-of-life issues such as:

• Palliative care and symptom management
• Day-to-day care of the patient
• Understanding grief and loss
• Understanding spiritual needs
• Keeping healthy boundaries as care givers
• Understanding family dynamics
• Developing good listening skills

For volunteers who wish to support the work of the agency in ways other than direct care of our patients and their families, we modify our orientation and training to suit those particular goals.

Our next Volunteer Training class will be held on Thursday evenings (6-9 p.m.) beginning September 9, 2010 through November 18, 2010. Please call Barbara Hardy for details as to time and location (732-1000).

Volunteer Support

Because our volunteers are valued members of our team, we want to ensure their well-being by offering on-going support during their patient assignments. To this end, our volunteer coordinator and other members of the patient care team are always available to assist volunteers as they work with their assigned patient and family members. We also host periodic in-service training sessions to share experiences from the field and acquaint our team with new information, policies and procedures.

To Learn More . . .

For more information please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Barbara Hardy: Phone: 717-732-1000 or 866-779-7374;
E-mail: Bhardy@hospiceofcentralpa.org.