Join Regional Hospice And Home Care’s Volunteer Team

DANBURY — Anyone with the willingness to listen, who enjoys being with other people, and wants to make an impact on other people’s lives may fit right in with Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Connecticut’s family support and bereavement volunteer team.

Spending time with a volunteer often allows patients to forget about their serious medical issues and focus on enjoying activities. Whether playing cards, watching a baseball game, or looking at family photos, it is meaningful time together.

There are also opportunities to help grieving people overcome the emptiness that often accompanies loss. Bereavement volunteers make personal visits and phone calls, or can assist with grief support groups offered by the agency’s Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children & Families and within the community.

“When a volunteer calls or walks in the door it brightens our patients’ days,” says Carolyn Wolfe, the agency’s volunteer director. “It can make such a difference to a family to know that someone will be there for a visit.”

Regional Hospice and Home Care’s family support volunteers provide companionship for patients and much-needed respite for caregivers, typically two to four hours a week. These special volunteers are an integral part of Regional Hospice and Home Care’s multidisciplinary team, providing practical assistance to bring joy to patients and ease the burden of families.

They help by making friendly visits, reading to patients, writing letters, or running errands. However, the most important gift a volunteer can offer is just being there to listen, share a quiet moment, or lend a strong shoulder for support.

Bereavement volunteers reach out to help grieving people establish new relationships, discover new identities, and achieve independence during their time of healing. A phone call from a caring individual can make all the difference to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

Volunteers receive appropriate training so that they will feel confident walking into patients’ homes or talking with grieving family members. Our professionally led training program will provide an introduction to the hospice philosophy of patient and family care with a focus on supporting those who are experiencing grief and loss as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives.

The role of both family support and bereavement volunteers will be fully explained and all volunteer opportunities will be discussed.

Regional Hospice and Home Care’s next Volunteer Training Program — for both family support and bereavement volunteers — will take place at the agency’s Danbury office at 405 Main Street. All new volunteers will attend training on Monday, May 23, and Tuesday, May 24, from 9 am to 4 pm.

There will be an additional training module, specific to either family support volunteers on Thursday, May 26, or for bereavement volunteers on Friday, May 27.

Potential volunteers are required to complete both full day sessions plus one of the additional modules. The 18-hour curriculum will include an overview of hospice and palliative care, how to be a supportive listener, the importance of respite in healthy caregiving, and an introduction to grief and loss.

With an increasing need for hospice care in Western Connecticut, there is a corresponding need for additional family support volunteers, and especially bilingual volunteers and massage therapists. Anyone interested in exploring the possibility of becoming a Regional Hospice and Home Care volunteer may call 203-702-7415.

An application, interview, references, and background check are required. Registration for the upcoming volunteer training will be accepted through May 2. Space is limited; registration does not guarantee enrollment in training sessions.