 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
"An
estimated four-fifths of the people
involved in hospice care in the United States
are volunteers, providing more than
five million hours of services annually
to the terminally ill and their loved ones."
-NHPCO Report 2002
The Rice Hospice volunteer is a loving and caring member of the hospice team who can provide emotional support, comfort and assistance to the hospice patient and family members. The volunteer will visit with the patient and family at home, in the hospital, in an assisted living facility, or in the nursing home to discuss ways in which he/she can be of assistance.
- Patient/Family Care Volunteer
- Bereavement Support Volunteer
- Office Volunteer
- Nursing Home Volunteer
- Inpatient Volunteer at Rice
- 11th Hour Volunteer
- Healing Touch Volunteer
- Life Review Volunteer
- Public Relations Volunteer
- Fund raising Volunteer
- Special Projects
To assist with occasional activities such as bulk mailings.
To be a friend to the patient and family. May offer companionship and a "listening ear," respite care, an outing for pie and coffee, running errands, playing cards and games, reading and reminiscing.
To be a support to the family after their loved one has died. May offer visits, phone calls, and letter-writing to the bereaved.
To be a support to the administrative staff. May include filing, copying, making packets, and computer data entry.
To be a friend and an additional volunteer visitor for hospice patients residing in the nursing homes.
To be an additional support for patients and their families while an inpatient at Rice Memorial Hospital.
To "be there" for the dying patient on request, so the patient does not die alone.
To offer healing touch sessions on request as a complementary therapy.
To offer assistance and support with patient reminiscing on tape or in written form.
To assist in increasing community awareness of Rice Hospice by working at health fair booths and speaking at church and community gatherings.
To assist in fund raising activities such as the Bowl for Hospice, Share A Memory, and Soup & Salad Luncheons.
Rice Hospice offers 16-hours of hospice training in the spring and the fall. A multidisciplinary approach is used for the training course, and Volunteers, Clergy, RNs, LPNs, Nursing Assistants, Physicians, PHNs, Pharmacists, Social Workers, and Funeral Directors are invited to attend. For those trainees wishing to become Rice Hospice volunteers, an additional 4-hour volunteer orientation is required. Please see Calendar of Events for current training dates.
At Rice Hospice, we value the input of the hospice volunteer and consider the volunteer an integral member of the hospice team of care. Ongoing volunteer education opportunities are offered each month, including the annual Share the Spirit educational retreat held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Willmar each fall.
Bunny
and Al Iverson are the recipients of the 2006 Hospice Minnesota
Volunteer Service Award, presented at the End-of-Life Conference in
St. Cloud on April 19. This state-wide honor is well deserved for this
couple who have volunteered with Rice Hospice in both patient care and
bereavement since 1993.
Working together individually and as a team, they have added life to days for so many patients and families; a recent example is this past fall when they both arrived at a patient’s home about 4:00 a.m. ----- Bunny to sit with the hospice patient while Al took her husband out in the country for an early morning duck hunting expedition.
They truly have given new life to the old clichés of going above and beyond and going the extra mile!
- Joyce Johnson ----- Minnesota Hospice Organization's Volunteer of the Year 2002
- Nursing Home Volunteer Program ----- National Hospice Foundation M. Catherine Ray Award for Volunteer Program Excellence 2003
For more information
about volunteering for Rice Hospice,
please contact Evy Hatjistilianos at 320-231-4433 or ehat@rice.willmar.mn.us
 |