Healthcare Volunteer in Houston
One of the many things that makes hospice a unique type of care is the Medicare requirement that community volunteers provide five percent of total patient care hours. This allows volunteers to provide a non-medical type of caring as well as a point of view that doesn’t involve family dynamics.
At the heart of hospice are people like you who have been touched in some way by the kindness of hospice and wish to give back. People who simply want to give of themselves. While our volunteers are often family or friends of a hospice patient, they are always people who want to help others in a time of need.
Hospice volunteers share a common bond of compassion, a commitment to excellence in care and a profound respect for the choices and comfort of patients and families struggling with end-of-life issues and emotions. Our volunteers are highly trained and well prepared to provide whatever is needed, when it’s needed most.
Volunteer opportunities
There are a number of volunteer opportunities that may include:
Direct Patient Volunteer
- Sitting with a patient and listening to his or her concerns
- Interacting with patients by reading, playing games, listening to music
- Being available so a family caregiver can have a short break
- Running errands for a patient or providing transportation
- Serving as an interpreter
- Providing complementary therapies such as massage or aromatherapy
- Providing music enrichment
- Providing spiritual care
- Helping with bereavement duties
Office Volunteer
- Data entry and filing
- Assisting office staff with various tasks
Deciding if Hospice Volunteering is Right for You
As a hospice volunteer, you’ll make a difference in the quality of others’ lives and, for all you give, you’ll receive so much more.
As a hospice volunteer, you need to:
- Commit the time to volunteer orientation
- Be dependable
- Be patient and compassionate
- Be a listener and comfortable in silence
- Know your strengths, your limits, and when to say no
- Be non-judgmental
- Accept that needs can be physical, emotional and/or spiritual
- Respect all beliefs, all religious customs and those who do not practice any
- Hold all patient details and those of their families in strict confidence
Related: 6 Things I’ve Learned About Life by Working with Hospice
How to Become a Volunteer
To become a hospice volunteer with Accredited Hospices of America:
- Give us a call us at 832-408-7999
- Complete a comprehensive volunteer application
- Attend an in-person interview with our Volunteer Coordinator
- Successfully complete the following:
- background check
- drug test
- TB screening
- Complete a comprehensive hospice volunteer training program where you’ll learn:
- Hospice philosophy
- Caring for terminally ill
- Health & Safety precautions
- Grief and loss education
- Which types of volunteering you’re interested in and talents the volunteer manage recognizes in you
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please call us today at 832-408-7999 and begin the process now.