FORT WAYNE, IN- Wanted: people with big hearts and a desire to serve others. If you are caring and compassionate and would like to bring support and comfort to patients in their final weeks of life, as well as provide much-needed support to their families, Parkview Hospice wants your help.
Parkview Hospice is currently seeking new volunteers to fill a variety of roles, including patient companionship, caregiver relief, bereavement support, or assisting with administrative tasks. Opportunities to volunteer are available in Allen, Huntington, Noble, Wabash, Whitley, Steuben, DeKalb, and LaGrange counties.
Hospice care aims to give patients the best possible quality of life at the end stages of life. Parkview Hospice provides comfort and emotional support wherever a patient calls home, whether that’s their personal residence, a nursing or assisted living facility, the Supportive Care Unit (SCU) at Parkview Hospital Randallia, or Parkview Regional Medical Center.
“Our volunteers are an extension of a patient’s care team,” said Alison Eckert, volunteer coordinator, Parkview Hospice, “and they want to do what they can to help make those final days meaningful, less stressful, and even enjoyable. As Parkview continues to serve more families through Hospice, our need for volunteers to provide empathetic support to these patients and their loved ones during this challenging time is greater than ever.”
Assisting the hospice program can take a variety of forms as volunteers have flexibility to customize their involvement. Volunteers can opt to take an up-close-and-personal role by making companionship visits to patients or by giving caregivers a break from their duties. They can also make comfort visits at end of life or help provide bereavement support to families over a 13-month period after the hospice patient has died. Other volunteer duties range from placing “tuck-in” phone calls to patients and families to ensure their needs are being met, to writing letters to patients or sending encouraging mail to families.
Volunteers may also choose to take on clerical roles such as sending out bereavement mailers or cards offering support on the anniversary of a death, working on admission binders and folders, helping to set up memorial services or creating memorial service invitations.
Volunteers are expected to work a few times per month, but the time commitment is also customizable based on role and availability.
All volunteers are required to complete a physical through Parkview Occupational Health, including a drug screen and a tuberculosis test (at no cost to volunteers), as well as a background check. Volunteers then must complete three hours of in-person training and nine hours of online training to ensure they learn and feel comfortable with their tasks.
After completing training, volunteers can choose to support individuals most conveniently located near them within the Parkview service area in northeast Indiana.
Volunteers must be age 18 or older. High school and college students who are at least 18 are eligible to volunteer.
Individuals interested in volunteering should fill out an application online at Parkview.com/hospicevolunteer. A volunteer coordinator will then contact you about upcoming training dates.
For more information, email Alison.Eckert@parkview.com or call 260-373-9800.
