Ask any of our patients, and they’ll likely tell you the volunteers who visit them touch their hearts. They look forward to the visits and the compassionate caring volunteers bring.
If you have a passion for caring for others and are looking for a way to make a difference in people’s lives, consider becoming a hospice volunteer. Our volunteers are an important part of our hospice care team, helping improve the quality of life for our patients, their families and their caregivers.
What Does a Hospice Volunteer Do?
The activities you will do as an Amedisys hospice volunteer may be many and varied. From reading at a patient’s bedside and knitting lap blankets, to providing pet therapy or helping with administrative duties - there's a wide range of possibilities. Common volunteer activities often include:
Activities with patients, like reading and writing letters, light housekeeping, playing games, participating in pet therapy, scrapbooking or other crafts – and just plain companionship.
Helping with household activities like arranging flowers, walking pets or other tasks to help keep things running smoothly.
Provide emotional support for the patient – and the family (before and after death) – such as providing breaks for family and friend caregivers, making spiritual prayer calls, attending funerals and memorial services and offering companionship to loved ones.
Hospice Volunteer Training
Becoming a Hospice Volunteer can feel like a big step, and we’re here to help. That’s why we support all our volunteers with an orientation and training program that helps you know what to do. You’ll learn:
- How the hospice care team works, and your role in it
- Helpful hints for being a successful volunteer
- The psychological, social and spiritual needs of hospice patients
- How to provide grief and bereavement support
- Communication skills and managing stress
- Patient privacy and other regulations
Who Can Be a Hospice Volunteer?
It’s our philosophy that Hospice Volunteers are part of our caregiver team. To maintain quality care for our patients and families, we have a few requirements of our hospice volunteers such as a background check, references, a statement of health and a commitment to serve for 1 -4 hours a week for six months. We do require that our volunteers be aged 16 and older.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities in your area and how to apply, email amedisysvolprograms@amedisys.com.
Amedisys Hospice Donations
The Amedisys Foundation helps both our people and our patients in times of need. If you'd like to donate to support future Amedisys patients with assistance from simple comfort items to funeral expenses, donate below. You may also send your donations into your local hospice care center or our corporate offices. Please ensure that checks are made out to the Amedisys Foundation. Our corporate address is: 3854 American Way, Suite A Baton Rouge, LA 70816
