Nearing the end of life can be a fearful and lonely time and often the best medicine doesn’t come from a bottle. It comes from friendship. Hospice volunteers from Miles and St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice provide companionship, emotional support, a listening ear and kindness. The need for caring, compassionate hospice volunteers never ends. Right now, Miles and St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice is looking for people to join their team of dedicated hospice volunteers.

On Aug. 4 and 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Lincoln County Healthcare will offer a 16-hour Hospice Services Overview training in the library at Schooner Cove in Damariscotta. The training will provide participants with information about the history of hospice, grief and bereavement, spirituality, family dynamics, and symptom management. The overview is part of the training required to become a certified hospice volunteer.

Hospice care includes medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness, such as cancer or heart failure. Connie Jones, Miles & St. Andrew Home Health and Hospice Bereavement and Volunteer Services Coordinator said, “Volunteers are a very important part of the hospice team. In addition to providing companionship and emotional support, hospice volunteers also help with basic daily tasks like letter writing, feeding and grocery shopping. Volunteers can carry some of the burden for the family members of a terminally ill person, relieving the isolation they may feel from caretaking.”

Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice volunteers have flexible schedules with opportunities for one time, periodic or weekly volunteer assignments. Hospice volunteers receive ongoing educational opportunities and are honored annually for their contributions.

The training is free and open to anyone in the community who is interested in learning more about hospice services or who wishes to become a hospice volunteer. Preregistration and completion of a training application before July 27 is required. For more information or to request a training application, please call Connie Jones at 207-563-4177 or email connie.jones2@lchcare.org