When people find out that I work in hospice I usually get the same responses:
“Oh, bless your heart, you must be a special type of person to do that.”
or “That must be really hard. I could never do that.”
or “That must be a really depressing kind of work.”
While receiving these comments is run-of-the-mill for me, I am always surprised that people have this view of those who work with the dying. I thought that American views on dying had changed more from being something we are scared of to something that is a normal process of life that is often a very spiritual experience for all involved.
Even funnier to me is that many of these same individuals who think hospice is depressing already do what our volunteers do: visiting those who are lonely, missing their spouses, home alone, etc. They just don’t realize that our volunteers do the same thing – only with those who have been given a 6 month diagnosis or less.
I’ve worked with many different community-serving programs: homeless shelters, food banks, at-risk teen centers, senior living programs, transitional housing for battered women. None of these experiences were as life enriching and rewarding as serving those who are going through the last journey of their life.
My job is to train individuals from the community to volunteer with hospice patients and I have the pleasure of preparing them to listen, interact and serve the individuals who are dying along with their families. Our volunteers often talk about their service with hospice patients as, “the experience of a lifetime.”
I invite those who are willing to try this experience to contact your local hospice to give it a try. Maybe the next time I introduce myself to one of you, you’ll exclaim, “Oh, hospice. I bet it’s the experience of a lifetime,” and I’ll nod and agree with you.
Hospice Volunteer Training
Begin your training to become a hospice volunteer and serve terminally ill individuals in your community. Volunteers can support patients with a variety of needs including:
-Companionship Visitor – visit lonely, isolated individuals by providing a listening ear and your time. Visit once a week for about an hour.
-Respite Support – stay with the patient so their loved one can take a break from the demands of caregiving. Visit once a week for 2-3 hours.
-Music Visitors – play soothing music or era-appropriate music for our patients in their home or nursing facility.
-Yard Beautification – many of our patients are unable to do simple tasks like mowing their yard or shoveling the walk. Volunteers would schedule their visits according to their availability and patient’s needs.
-Dream Volunteers – these volunteers work in conjunction with the Dream Foundation to meet our patient’s wishes.
Tuesday, April 21st
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Hospice Alliance
1270 South Woodruff Ave., Idaho Falls 83404
Please call to reserve your spot by Thursday, April 16th. Ask to speak to the Volunteer Coordinator: 208-552-0249
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Gato got runned over by Marcus many moons ago. Be ye daft, 2486? 
Let's have a new poll, alright, Joe?
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