If you’ve ever wanted to get more involved in the community, now is your chance.
Hospice Quinte is holding a new Visiting Hospice Volunteer training session this fall.
The Patient Volunteer Training Course starts on October 9 and runs for ten weeks. Classes will take place in Trenton on Tuesdays from 1-4 p.m.
Executive Director Jennifer May-Anderson says, “Volunteers are the heart of Hospice Quinte. Our visiting hospice patient volunteers have a desire to provide comfort and care to patients, caregivers, and families during the end of life. These dedicated volunteers have an incredible impact on the lives of the patients they serve and the families and friends of the terminally ill. A visiting hospice volunteer can fill the gap between family members and professional caregivers. They are trained to meet the needs of patients and loved ones, visiting on a schedule that is open to change as the needs of the patient and family change. Hospice volunteers are unpaid, yet priceless.”
May-Anderson adds, “Hospice Quinte is committed to offering support for individuals facing a life-threatening illness to help them live with comfort, meaning, dignity, and hope. Our volunteers can provide up to four hours of service each week, to be scheduled as needed. They provide social, emotional, and practical support to the patient and their family, friends, and caregivers.”
The deadline to apply for the fall training session is September 10.
Hospice Quinte patient volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and not have experienced a significant loss (such as death, divorce, or loss of job or home) in the last year. Patient volunteers will have to complete an application form, screening process, criminal record check, 30 hours of training, and a two-step tuberculosis test. Volunteers should have a mature perspective on life, death, loss, and grief and be accepting and respectful of others who have different values, beliefs, and ways of living. Patient volunteering is both rewarding and challenging.
The first step to becoming a Hospice Quinte Patient Volunteer is to complete a Patient Volunteer Application form, which can be found online at HospiceQuinte.ca.
Training topics include:
Introduction to Hospice Quinte and Hospice Palliative Care
Role of the Volunteer; Communication
Grief & Bereavement
Palliative Illnesses
Infection Prevention and Control
Hospice Quinte assists terminally ill individuals and their caregivers by offering them support and companionship. Visiting hospice services are offered in the person’s own home, long term care homes, retirement homes and both Belleville General and Trenton Memorial Hospitals. This care is provided by trained, experienced, and compassionate volunteers. Bereavement support groups are also offered. There are no fees for services to patients and their families.
Hospice Quinte is a registered, non-profit charity whose volunteers are the heart of the organization.
The Hospice Quinte service area includes Quinte West, Belleville, Deseronto, Tyendinaga Township and the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. To find out more visit HospiceQuinte.ca.
