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Volunteer Support

 The hospice program of compassionate care depends greatly on volunteers. Although the professional hospice staff and the families of our patients are able to provide much of the daily care needed at the end-of-life, input from volunteers is essential. Hospice of Hilo currently has over 100 volunteers who are ready to provide support as needed.

What Volunteers Do:

Hospice volunteers provide a wide range of supportive services for patients and families including:

• Direct patient care , such as assisting with feeding, turning, transferring from bed to wheelchair or commode, changing bedding and clothing, and other activities of daily living.
• Respite care, which entails staying with the patient, thus freeing the family members to rest or to attend to other matters.
• Companionship. This may include reading to the patient, listening to their concerns, or simply providing a silent presence.
• Light housekeeping and errands.

Hospice Volunteers may also choose to provide organizational support such as:

• Community education. This might entail taking charge of an educational booth at a community event or speaking about the hospice program to a community organization.
• Fund Development . This could entail helping in the planning, coordination and/or implementation of fund-raising events such as Light Up a Life or the Memorial Day Weekend Celebration of Life .
• Office assistance, such as help with bulk mailing projects, answering phones, organizing files, etc.

How much time is required to be a hospice volunteer?

You may devote as much time as you choose. There is no minimum requirement. Each person has a different schedule and different time availability. Our Director of Volunteer Services works with each volunteer to ensure an optimal work schedule.

How to become a Hospice Volunteer:

If you are interested in becoming a hospice volunteer, please contact Pearl Lyman, Hospice of Hilo Director of Volunteer Services at 969-1733 or  pearl@hospiceofhilo.org .

Volunteer candidates complete a 20-hour orientation and training course which usually entails one evening and two consecutive Saturdays. The volunteer training curriculum covers such topics as:

• The hospice philosophy of care
• Direct patient care
• Communicating with the dying
• Volunteer self-care and boundaries
• Signs and Symptoms of Approaching Death
• Spiritual care at the end-of-life
• Grief support for patients and families
• Privacy and confidentiality issues

Hospice of Hilo Volunteer Brochure