Volunteers (Hospice)

Overview

Come join our Altus Hospice Volunteer Team! Are you caring and compassionate? Do you have a passion for helping others?  Then we would love to have you as a hospice volunteer! 

Altus Hospice's volunteers are provided the preparation and training they need to comfortably and successfully complete their chosen assignments.  Some volunteers receive additional training based on their selected area of service. VOLUNTEERS ARE NOT PAID EMPLOYEES AND DO NOT RECEIVE COMPENSATION FOR THEIR TIME. 

Become a hero on your own termsOn your own time. In your own way. With your personality. Your ability to relate. Your own skills. Your way of solving a problem, sharing a story, or helping somebody remember important moments in their lives. If you are crafty, we can also use your help in making homemade gifts for our hospice patients! If you play an instrument, music is a beautiful way to bring therapy to a patient. If you have a therapy dog, we could use you and your furry loved one!

Altus Hospice provides professional care with a personal touch. We accomplish this by focusing on both the patient and their family. We will treat the disease process with medical expertise while emphasizing quality living, not only physically, but also psychosocially, emotionally and spiritually. Comfort, compassion and calming presence are the gifts we bring to this service, and we are honored to walk with the patient and loved ones through this special time.

Responsibilities

Patient Care Volunteers are part of a patient’s care team. They make home visits to offer companionship for patients and relief for caregivers. Examples of patient care volunteer opportunities include reading to the patient, assisting with a hobby, listening, running errands, or grocery shopping.

Organizational Volunteers do not work directly with patients and families. Examples of organizational volunteer opportunities include working in our offices to support our care team or help patients and families through indirect support, such as assisting with our Transitions program, creating special memories for holidays, patient birthdays and anniversaries, planting flowers or mowing a yard for a patient that is unable to continue doing so, and helping with other needs of our patients and families.

Musician Volunteers are professional musicians, choir members, music students and teachers, board-certified music therapists, band members, and more, to share music and brighten up the days of all those we serve.  As a Music Volunteer you will be able to provide a beautiful presence through the comfort of your music to our patients, and provide peace to our front-line healthcare staff.

Pet Therapy Volunteers are a wonderful way to share comfort and compassion through interactions with Certified Therapy Pets and Hospice Patients.  A visit from a therapy animal can bring an immense amount of joy, emotional support, and fulfillment to a hospice patient and their family members. Pet therapy has been proven to decrease pain and stress. No hospice experience necessary but the animal must be certified and up to date on all vaccinations.

Veteran Volunteers have the unique ability to relate and connect with other Veterans, which is why they are vital to ensuring our veteran patients get the extra attention they deserve. Veteran volunteers provide companionship (conversation/sharing stories, playing games, etc.), caregiver relief (to give direct caregivers a break), compassionate listening, and participation in Veteran pinning ceremonies. Veteran volunteers have invaluable insight and may be able to give stress reduction techniques to patients/caregivers, help recognize PTSD in patients, and help patients/caregivers identify and process grief.

Qualifications

• Understanding and supportive of hospice philosophy.
• Compassionate person who is accepting and respectful of people's differences.
• Must be able to pass background check requirements.

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