Spending in-person time with a patient or a caregiver can mean visiting, providing companionship at times of loneliness, isolation or boredom, reading to a patient or looking through pictures with them, helping them to write letters, playing cards or doing puzzles – or simply providing companionship to alleviate loneliness, isolation or boredom.
Volunteers can run errands for a hospice family, do light housework or home maintenance, or allow caregivers an hour or two to take care of necessary errands, exercise, or simply have some time alone.
A volunteer with clerical skills can serve a hospice by helping in the office with administrative duties and fundraising activities. Volunteers can work with the hospice’s bereavement staff to helping with mailings to families. They may also assist with weekly “tuck-in” calls to check on patient needs and ensure that they have the supplies and medications they need before the weekend.
We love it when volunteers contribute special skills and gifts to our patients and families! Inspiring Hospice has utilized the generous gifts of cosmetologists, musicians, handymen, roof repair contractors, HVAC techs, therapy dog owners and flower arrangers to ease and brighten the lives of our patients and their caregivers.
Inspiring Hospice runs a program whereby volunteers 16 and under, who are not licensed to drive, may volunteer under the supervision of our Volunteer Coordinator. Our youth volunteers provide companionship in the form of group visits, bringing activities and holiday celebrations to our patients at their private homes, assisted living facilities and nursing homes where they sometimes live.