Parkview Home Health & Hospice is in need of volunteers to help hospice patients and their families in LaGrange County.
Hospice provides wrap-around services for patients who are terminally ill and have decided to allow their illness to take its course. The focus of hospice treatment is on managing the patient’s symptoms and providing emotional support to the patient and their family and caregivers. The goal is to enable the patient to stay in his or her own home and live the remainder of their life as fully as possible.
When a patient enters the hospice program, they and their family caretakers become part of a multidisciplinary team of resources that includes medical and nursing care, support from hospice aids, social workers, chaplains, physical, occupational and speech therapists.
Volunteers play an essential role in the team by providing companionship and support. Typical volunteer services might include grocery shopping or light housekeeping, spending some time with the client talking or reading aloud or preparing a meal for them. Volunteers donate from one to four hours of their time each week. They are especially needed during the day to stay with a patient so caregivers can rest or be away from home for a couple of hours.
Interested individuals are required to complete a series of six training sessions before beginning their hospice volunteer service. Classes meet twice a week and will begin August 10, 2009, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Parkview LaGrange Hospital, 207 N. Townline Rd. in LaGrange. To register for the class or for more information about hospice volunteers, contact Mauna Cowan with Parkview Home Health & Hospice at 800-363-9977 or mauna.cowan@parkview.com.