VETERANS WANTED FOR HOSPICE

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NO VETERAN DIES ALONE

Intrepid is seeking other Veterans who would like to be volunteers and companions to other military veterans.

WE HONOR VETERANS, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization In collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, is the pioneering program focused on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgement. By recognizing the unique needs of America's Veterans and their facilities, community providers, in partnership with the VA staff, will learn how to accompany and guide them through their life stories toward a more peaceful ending.

What You Can Provide

• You are one of the caring people that Veterans, their families, and their friends come into contact with when they visit our facility. You offer companionship and assistance.
• Your positive and friendly outlook is vital.
• You assist our medical and administrative staff with making sure that Veterans are treated with the respect and consideration they deserve.
• You can be a friend, confidant, and connection to the community.
• You can help preserve Veterans’ life stories through scrapbooking, photo preservation and life memory audio and video recordings. Supervisors will provide guidance on necessary consent forms for audio and video recordings and release forms in order to provide recorded or written stories to families (e.g., Veterans History Project located at loc.gov/vets).
• You can assist a Veteran or family member with letter writing. * You can share their special memories.
• Sometimes there is nothing you can do except hold the Veteran’s hand. Remember that not all Veterans want to be touched. Please ask permission. If the Veteran is unable to communicate, ask staff. At other times, the Veteran may talk to you or may want to hear what you have to say. Talk about shared experiences, the Veteran’s life, your life, and what’s going on in the world. Take cues from the Veteran. If he/she wants to talk about dying, listen and respond appropriately and honestly. If you don’t know how to respond, simply assure him/her that you care and seek out assistance from the staff.
• ALWAYS ask for help or for permission from nursing staff before assisting a Veteran. The simplest thing, like giving a Veteran a drink of water, may require special skills or knowledge of the Veteran’s condition.
• People with chronic pain may not show any outward signs of pain. However, you can often tell if a person is in pain simply by being observant. A grimace, a wrinkled brow, tense fingers, moans, etc., are all telltale signs. Even in an unresponsive person, these signs tell us they are in pain. Report signs of pain to nursing staff. Most pain can be effectively relieved with medical intervention.
• Always speak to the Veteran in his/her presence, not about him/her. Hearing is thought to be the last one of the senses to fade.
• It is essential for you to believe that whatever you do in loving service for the sick and dying, you are contributing to their comfort and happiness. You are not helpless in the face of illness and death, regardless of how much or how little you are able to do. What counts is your presence, not your activity
• Whatever we do outwardly, it is our concern and respect for the Veteran that matters.
• Be mindful of your interactions with the Veteran and the family. Do not become overly involved in your relationship with them. Do not accept gifts of any type, e.g., food, personal items or money. Do not make plans to meet family members after the Veteran dies with the exception of attending funeral/memorial services.

Position Description (include lifting, walking, limitations, etc.):
* Support VA’s "No Veteran Dies Alone" initiative
* Comfort Veterans during final hours of life through literature, music, or other forms of supportive presence.
* Assist in providing comfort for families of Veterans as they attend to their loved one
* Provide support for Veterans, family, and staff, as requested/scheduled to companion Veterans during
their final weeks, days, and hours of living
* Provide documentation of specialized training in the care of individuals approaching end of life (e.g., The
Twilight Brigade; Companioning the Dying, Inc.; Vigil/11th Hour Training from community hospice agency).
Qualifications, Skills, and Prerequisites for Position:
* Minimum age of 18
* Complete Urine Drug Screen
* Successful completion of the Voluntary Services Orientation
* Communication skills necessary to work with family and staff caring for seriously ill Veterans
* Willingness to be present with Veterans during their final weeks, days, or hours of living
* Ability to remain seated for extended periods of time
* Agreement to be "on call" (per volunteer’s availability) to accommodate need for service
* Previous hospice experience and/or caregiving at end-of-life valued


All volunteers including direct services to patients and families, bereavement services, and/or office volunteer services, will be trained pursuant to the requirements established by Medicare and the State of Virginia.

Training must be completed prior to the volunteer beginning his/her service hours. The objective of the volunteer training is to ensure the volunteer is familiar with hospice services, philosophies of death, and dying including grief, as well as the exploration of attitudes about terminal illnesses.
After the completion of our training program, we maintain that you are not under any obligation to continue volunteer services.