New Volunteer Training Feb. 2

Jelemia Sanders, a 20-plus year volunteer at Hospice Care Plus, answers phones at the Compassionate Care Center.

Hospice Care Plus will host a training for new volunteers on Saturday, February 2, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond. The training is for anyone with an interest in supporting non-profit care through a variety of patient care or administrative roles. The training is open to anyone age 14 and up. Registration is required. To register, contact Stefanie Manes, volunteer coordinator, at 859-626-9292 or hospice@hospicecp.org.

The Volunteer Program works one-on-one with new volunteers to place them in roles that match their interests, availability, and skills. There are many roles from which to choose. Read more about opportunities, programs, and special needs below. Questions? Call Stefanie during regular business hours.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, PROGRAMS, AND SPECIAL NEEDS

Home Hospice Volunteers: These volunteers accept ongoing or one-time matches in their community with a patient and caregiver in our home hospice program. Often, the volunteer helps give the caregiver a break by visiting with the patient for a couple of hours once a week or every two weeks. This gives the caregiver a chance to shop, go to a doctor’s appointment, or simply get out of the house for a bit. Other tasks that home volunteers help with include providing transportation to an appointment, bringing a meal, or making supportive phone calls.

Groundskeepers (This is a SPECIAL NEED for us right now):  The Groundskeeper Volunteers help reduce costs by volunteering their time to keep the grounds at the Berea Office and the Compassionate Care Center in good shape. They may weed, mow, prune, plant, and more.

Compassionate Care Center Volunteers: At the Center, volunteers accept regular shifts working the front desk. They greet visitors, help visitors sign in and out, answer phone calls, stock the hospitality cart, and more. The shifts can be weekly, monthly, or whatever works for the volunteer.

Pet Therapy Volunteers: Joy, our therapy dog, is a young golden retriever. She works mostly at our Compassionate Care Center. She can only be on duty when a volunteer handler is present. The handler is trained to reinforce Joy’s commands and to take her to visit patients at the Center. Volunteer handlers also make sure she goes outside for walks and play sessions.

Bereavement Volunteers: Volunteers in this program receive additional training to help with grief support activities, from special mailings and phone calls to support groups and related events. Those who are willing can also be matched with a bereavement client to offer support and companionship.

Tuck-In Volunteers: These volunteers come to the Berea central office or the Compassionate Care Center on some Thursdays to make phone calls to home hospice patients. The purpose of the calls is to make sure the patient and caregiver have everything they need before the weekend (medications, supplies, equipment). After completing the calls, the volunteer gives report to nurses.

Berea Office Volunteers: Office volunteers accept shifts to help answer phones and assist with simple tasks during regular office hours.

Vigil Volunteers: The Vigil Volunteer Program was created to make sure that nursing home hospice patients do not die alone. These are patients whose family are out-of-state and can’t be present when their loved one is dying. When the hospice nurse determines that the patient is actively dying and is alone, she triggers a vigil. Volunteers sign-up to work in 4-hour shifts, back-to-back, until the patient passes away. In addition to the standard new volunteer training, they receive an additional three hours of training in comfort measures.

Teen Volunteers: Teens age 14 and up are welcome to volunteer with us, especially at the Compassionate Care Center. Teens may also work in other programs, such as the Breakfast Club, We Honor Veterans, Berea Office Volunteers, and Pet Therapy Volunteers.

The Breakfast Club: These volunteers meet on the first Thursday of every month in our Berea office. They gather around 9 a.m. and help with a group administrative task for about two hours. They may make bags of medical gloves, help assemble admission packets, etc. This group enjoys their work and each other, and often set up other social gatherings just for Breakfast Club participants.

We Honor Veterans Volunteers: Our hospice participates in the national We Honor Veterans (WHV) program, which means we are committed to providing specialized care to meet the unique needs of veteran patients. WHV Volunteers are veterans who agree to be matched with veteran patients, and/or are willing to help us with bedside recognition ceremonies thanking veterans for their service to country.