Volunteer at Mercy Hospice

As a hospice volunteer, you have the privilege of serving families at a tender time when they are saying, “I love you,” “I forgive you,” ” thank you,” and “good-bye.” It’s a period of closure and a time of reflection. Many patients find it helpful to talk about their lives with an objective listener. They feel free to discuss events and issues with a volunteer that it may be difficult to share with their relatives or health providers.

Hospice volunteers consistently describe the experience as one that is surprisingly rewarding. Below are comments typically heard from volunteers:

• “The courage of the patients, and their gratitude and concern for their family.It’s amazing.And the family members! These caregivers are the unsung heroes. Their love and compassion is really very touching. The whole thing is profoundly moving.”
• “I’ve seen family members reunited after years of being apart. They realize that the grudge they were holding really wasn’t all that important afterall. Decades of bitterness falls away in the face of death. And to a one, they all say, ‘Why did we wait so long?’ It makes you realize that you don’t have to wait until you’re dying to forgive. What a lesson!”
• “It meant so much to us to get help from hospice when my husband was sick. I decided I wanted to give back, so I became a hospice volunteer. What I didn’t know at the time was how much I would get out of it, being on the giving end. It’s one the best things I do.”
• “For me, it’s a blessing to spend time with people in their last weeks of life. As my patients lose their physical abilities, they often become more spiritual. The worries of daily life are seen for what they are, insignificant. In the end, all my patients can do is become the essence of the human soul: our capacity to love. And just think, I get to witness that every week!”

In addition to visiting with patients, your presence as a volunteer also gives family members the opportunity for a much-needed break. The kinds of activities a volunteer might do include:

• Light housekeeping (dishes, laundry, meal preparation)
• Running errands
• Letter writing
• Sharing hobbies or special interests

Please know that a volunteer will never be expected to do something they do not want to do. In addition, all volunteers receive extensive training and support, and there is a Volunteer Coordinator to help if you have questions or concerns.

Patient-care is not the only way to contribute. If you are interested in volunteering but don’t see yourself working with patients, hospice will gladly find ways to use your unique talents. Other volunteer opportunities could include things like:

• Clerical tasks (mailings, reception, special projects)
• Helping with grief support groups
• Staffing a table at a health fair
• Writing condolence cards
• Assisting at a memorial event
• Delivering medications from the pharmacy
• Helping with computer projects
• Serving on an advisory council

Or, if you have a volunteer idea in mind, call us and suggest it. Volunteers around the country have come up with all kinds of ideas:

• • One volunteer set up a program helping patients to leave a video for their family members. Some use the video to reminisce about favorite memories, some tell their life story, others make it a love letter or an ethical will.

• • The employees in one workplace organized into teams that each “adopted” a family for the holidays. The teams did things like make a Christmas meal, or get a wish list from family members and then solicited donations for the gifts from local businesses.

Be creative! We’d love to work with you. If you’d like to talk more about volunteering, give us a call at 916-281-3900.