Hospice volunteer training at the Coulombe Center
Hospice volunteers are a vital part of Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice. If you are interested in becoming a hospice volunteer, please call Connie Jones at 563-4177 about our upcoming training. Courtesy photo
Hospice volunteers are a vital part of Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice. If you are interested in becoming a hospice volunteer, please call Connie Jones at 563-4177 about our upcoming training. Courtesy photo
On February 16, 17 and 18, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice will offer a hospice volunteer training course at The Coulombe Center for Health located at the St. Andrews Campus of LincolnHealth in Boothbay Harbor.
The training will provide information about the history of hospice, grief and bereavement, spirituality, family dynamics and symptom management. Presenters for the three-day training include Dr. John Dickens, MD, the Rev. Ken Dale, Kirsten Skorpen, MSW, and Mickey Gerhard, RN.
Hospice care provides humane and compassionate care for patients who have an incurable disease using a family-centered team approach. Volunteers are an important part of the team comprised of physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers and home health aides. Volunteers assist by providing short respite breaks for family and caregivers and they help with tasks such as letter writing, reading out loud and errands.
“Often the most important thing they do is just ‘be there’ for our patients to reassure them they are not alone, to hold a hand, to offer a smile, or to just listen” said Connie Jones, Community Liaison representative.
Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice is fortunate to have a strong base of hospice volunteers. Jones said, “Many began volunteering because they personally saw the difference hospice care makes or they heard about the care the agency provided to a co-worker, friend, or neighbor.” Jones added, “What makes this group of volunteers so remarkable is their emotional stability, excellent listening skills, and their genuine desire to be of help to others. The work they do is not easy, but the personal rewards are enormous.”
Prospective volunteers must receive 20 hours of training and undergo background screenings and an interview before they are certified to work with hospice patients. Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice provides these at no cost.
Preregistration and completion of a hospice volunteer training application before Feb. 5 is required. For more information or to request a volunteer training application, please call 563-4177 or email connie.jones2@lchcare.org
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