Volunteer Hospice Training October 22nd - Naperville

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Please join us for our Volunteer training on October 22nd from 9am to 7pm at Grace United Methodist Church at 300 E Gartner Road, Naperville. Hospice Volunteers are an essential part of the hospice philosophy of care which recognizes that dying is not just a medical event but a personal one as well. These volunteers are important members of an interdisciplinary team working to de-institutionalize the dying experience and provide a more humane system of care for the dying and their families. In fact, federal law requires that at least 5% of patient care hours be provided by volunteers. Volunteers in hospice find it personally gratifying, intellectually stimulating, and emotionally meaningful to assist those in need at a critical point in their lives. Many of these volunteers were introduced to hospice through the death of a family member and understand firsthand the value of hospice care, but nearly 20% of volunteers are new to hospice. Volunteers consistently report that helping the terminally ill through hospice is not about dying but about living.

Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Illinois has many opportunities for volunteers. We are seeking people who want to help their friends and neighbors and serve the community. Opportunities can include:

• Support for patients. This can include visiting, reading, taking walks, writing letters, bringing in music, even massage therapy for volunteers with the necessary certifications. The number of ways individuals can share their skills is endless.
• Respite and support for family members. Volunteers can assist with shopping or household maintenance, or allow family caregivers the opportunity to take care of necessary errands and get some time away from the house. Family members also appreciate a visit from a compassionate friend who understands what they are going through. Volunteers have also made invaluable contributions with family pet care.
• Bereavement support programs. Hospice volunteers can work closely with the hospice's professional bereavement staff in duties that range from assisting as a support group facilitator to serving refreshments and helping with mailings to clients and families.
• Music Companion: Do you play and instrument or sing? These are volunteers that provide entertainment to those who enjoy music.

To ensure that all volunteers are equipped for the challenge of working with the dying, Seasons Hospice requires that Direct Patient Care Volunteers complete extensive orientation and training sessions, as well as submit to a routine background check. It's important that volunteers understand the history of hospice and are aware of the specific ways their local hospices works to serve the community. Depending on area of service, additional training may be available or necessary.

Registration is required, as we provide snacks, handouts, and volunteer manuals. The training is free, in hopes that you'll become an active volunteer for Seasons.

Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care serves patients and their family members in their homes and in nursing facilities all throughout the Chicagoland area. Additionally, we operate two inpatient units in Chicago. We are opening a third at Westmont Hospital and will be opening our own stand alone Inpatient unit in Naperville in 2013. These units will be in need of Volunteers.

We also welcome and appreciate those who wish to serve our patients and families indirectly, by helping out in our offices in Des Plaines or Willowbrook.

All of our opportunities are very flexible. We ask a minimum of one hour per week of your time. Our volunteers choose each assignment based on their own personal schedule and level of commitment. Your assignments would be as far as you are willing to go, and your paperwork would be completed and mailed from your home with materials that we provide. Even one hour a week makes a big difference in the lives of our patients and families.

If this training doesn't work for you, please feel free to contact tjackson@seasons.org for dates on upcoming trainings. See our other listing for more about the broad array of direct patient care and indirect care opportunities at Seasons Hospice.

Thank you for your time. :)