What Do Hospice Volunteers Do?

You know hospice care involves nurses and other medical personnel. But have you heard of hospice volunteers? Ever wondered what they do?

The Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia gives a brief overview of the hospice players and describes the volunteers’ important jobs:

Supportive care: Volunteers provide extra support for patients and families by doing things such as running errands, doing household chores, reading to a patient and listening. Patients often feel more comfortable talking to volunteers about death and dying. Other supportive-care services include visits from a spiritual or religious leader and access to a social worker for help with emotional or financial issues.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about what hospices do for patients and their families. In the meantime, you may be interested in these previous OurParents posts:

• Hospice: A Nurse Shares First-Person Experiences
• An Unexpected View of Hospice, Straight From an Aide

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in health and aging issues. She covers finding and paying for senior care for OurParents. If you have any questions about this post or need help finding senior-care options for a loved one, call 1-866-483-4896 to speak with a care advisor in your area.