View our brochure: Regional Hospice Volunteers  

Volunteer Training: September 20, 21 & 23, 2010.
Click here for Details

Volunteer

Regional Hospice volunteers are very special people who play a critical role. Trained volunteers offer support for our patients and their families in the hospice program and the Healing Hearts bereavement programs. Volunteers can also assist with administrative support, community education, fundraising and other activities.

Family support volunteers offer support and companionship for patients and their families in their homes, skilled nursing facilities and the hospital. At certain times during the year an 18-hour training is offered free of charge to prepare new family support volunteers. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the hospice philosophy, the interdisciplinary team approach to care and the special needs of patients and families facing a life-limiting illness and loss.

Bereavement volunteers work along with professional bereavement counselors to offer support to adults or children who have experienced the death of a loved one. A 6-hour training is required to become a bereavement volunteer.

Participation in the volunteer trainings is not required for volunteers who provide administrative support and help with community education, fundraising and other activities.

Help is always needed. To learn more about becoming a Regional Hospice volunteer, contact Carolyn Wolfe, volunteer coordinator, at 203.739.8315 or email at carolyn.wolfe@danhosp.org

Clinical Support Volunteer Needed

We are currently seeking a skilled volunteer to support our clinical department a few hours a week. Data entry or healthcare experience preferred. If this sounds like an opportunity for you, contact Carolyn Wolfe at Carolyn.Wolfe@danhosp.org or 203-739-8315.

Join Regional Hospice’s Volunteer Team

If you can listen, enjoy being with other people, and want to make an impact on other people’s lives, you will fit right in with Regional Hospice’s volunteer team. Regional Hospice is seeking individuals who are willing to participate in volunteer training and visit with patients and families in any of the following towns: Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown, New Fairfield, Redding, Ridgefield, New Milford, and Southbury.

Volunteers are key to our team approach to care. Spending time with a volunteer often allows patients to forget about their serious medical issues and focus on enjoying activities. Whether playing cards, watching a baseball game, or looking at family photos, it is meaningful time together.

 “When a volunteer walks in the door it brightens our patients’ days,” says Carolyn Wolfe, the agency’s Volunteer Director. “It can make such a difference to a family to know that someone will be there for a visit.”

            Regional Hospice’s Family Support Volunteers provide companionship for patients and much-needed respite for caregivers, typically two to four hours a week. These special volunteers are an integral part of Regional Hospice’s multi-disciplinary team, providing practical assistance to bring joy to patients and ease the burden of families. They help by making friendly visits, reading to patients, writing letters or running errands. However, the most important gift a

volunteer can offer is just being there to listen, share a quiet moment, or lend a strong shoulder for support.

            Volunteers receive appropriate training so that they will feel confident walking into patients’ homes, and so that family members will feel comfortable asking for assistance. Regional Hospice’s next Family Support Volunteer Training Program will take place at the agency’s Danbury office on September 20^th, and 21^st from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and continuing on September 23^rd, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The 18 hour curriculum will include an overview of hospice and palliative care, how to be a supportive listener, the importance of respite in healthy caregiving, and an introduction to grief and loss.

            With an increasing need for hospice care in Greater Danbury, there is a corresponding need for additional family support volunteers, especially bilingual volunteers and massage therapists. Anyone interested in exploring the possibility of becoming a Regional Hospice volunteer may contact Carolyn Wolfe, Volunteer Director at (203) 739-8315 (email: Carolyn.Wolfe@danhosp.org), or Maureen Decker, Volunteer Coordinator at (203) 739-8316 (email: Maureen.Decker@danhosp.org). An application, references and background check are required along with a prescreening interview. Registration for the training will be accepted through August 27^th.