Don't let them spend end-of-life alone, share your time with hospice patients & families!

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Are you kind and friendly and looking to help folks in your community? Are you good at starting conversations with new people and empathizing with others? Have you been looking for a way to use these skills to help others going through a hard time? We've got a volunteer role for you!
Residential Hospice (Formerly NorthShore Hospice) is seeking dedicated Patient Support Volunteers to help patients and families through their end-of-life journey. Hospice patients have a terminal diagnosis and a limited life expectancy, and they and their loved ones are often dealing with many emotional stressors while in the care of hospice.

This opportunity is wonderful for:
- Those who have been in the healthcare or mental health field, or are studying nursing, social work, or on a pre-med track
- Veterans wanting to work with other veterans
- Retirees who enjoy socializing with folks who need company
- Those with registered therapy animals who would like to participate in our Pet Therapy program
- Volunteers who speak a second language (Spanish & Russian are most needed, but any language is welcome!) and would like to support patients in their own language
- Those who have benefitted from hospice support (over a year ago) and would like to help others going through a similar experience
- Anyone else who can be reliable and loves helping those in their community feel supported during hard times!

How our Volunteers Make a Difference:
1. Provide comfort, companionship and friendship to a patient living in a nursing facility or at home who is struggling with feelings of loneliness or a lack of socialization. These volunteers can provide a range of interventions depending on the patient and their diagnosis - from reading aloud, talking, or attending facility activities with the patient to simply listening to music, painting nails, helping with easy tasks around the household or holding a hand. Volunteers get to listen to (and sometimes help record) life stories, develop a friendship, and make sure a patient feels cared for and supported during their time in our care.
2. Provide respite services for caregivers who are overwhelmed by the stress of caring for a loved one. Volunteers sit with a patient (sometimes doing the same activities as above, sometimes quietly reading a book while a patient sleeps) while the caregiver takes time to grocery shop, attend an appointment of their own, or just do some much-needed self care.

Volunteers will NEVER be asked to perform medical tasks related to patient care - this role is a supplement to the care received by our medical team.

Location:
Our volunteers work on the North Side of Chicago and the North suburbs almost all the way to Wisconsin, and we are happy to try and match volunteers with patients near their homes if requested.
No previous experience is necessary. To be a good hospice volunteer you need only to be dependable and punctual, non-judgmental and friendly, a good listener and kind-hearted.

Qualifications:

• Volunteers must be 18 or older, and must be willing to commit to volunteering for 2-3 hours/week (while assigned a patient) for a minimum of one full year.
• Volunteers must be willing to complete a health assessment that includes a physical, a drug test and a Tb test. Must have a Covid Vaccine and be willing to get a booster if required.
• Volunteers must have a social security number and complete paperwork for us to run a background check.
• Volunteers must be willing to complete our Volunteer Orientation process, which takes 5-10 hours depending on volunteer experience
• If a potential volunteer has recently had a loss of a close family member or friend, we ask that they wait 12 months before applying to volunteer with hospice

Volunteers always have a Volunteer Coordinator available for training, supervision, and to address any concerns in the role. If this role sounds like a good fit for you, please click "I Want to Help" to arrange an interview or to ask more questions - we look forward to hearing from you!