Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice (MSAHHH) will be offering a free hospice training course for all those interested in becoming a hospice volunteer. The training will held on April 10, 11 and 12, at the Waldoboro Town Office in Waldoboro from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

MSAHHH’s hospice volunteers come from all walks of life, but what they have in common are excellent listening skills, a high degree of personal integrity, and a special compassion for dying patients and the family and friends who care for them. Volunteers, like good friends, respond to the needs of terminally ill patients and their families by providing respite for caregivers, offering companionship, running errands, and helping families and patients in many other meaningful ways. To be comfortable in the role, volunteers must be emotionally stable and mature enough to be able to talk openly about death and loss. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, have their own transportation, and be willing to volunteer four to six hours per week, on average.

Instructors for MSAHHH’s three-day training course will include Rev. Ken Dale, Dr. John Dickens, Kathe Pilibosian LCSW, Bernadette Gerhard, MSN, Mike Hall, Connie Jones, Helen Weld, RN and Maine Hospice Council Executive Director, Kandyce Powell, RN. The training will cover basic Hospice principles including: The History and Philosophy of Hospice Care, Concepts of Death and Dying, Communication and End of Life Issues, Clinical Aspects of Hospice, Psychosocial Issues, Spiritual and Cultural Issues in Hospice, Grief and Bereavement, and the Role of the Hospice Volunteer.

Preregistration and submission of a hospice volunteer training application before April 5 is required. For more information or to request a training application, please call Connie Jones at 207-563-4177 or e-mail connie.jones2@lchcare.org