Volunteer

Help us help your community. Enhance your special talents and skills and at the same time support people in your community living with a terminal illness.

Who are Hospice Volunteers

Hospice volunteers are exceptional people committed to sharing in the lives of individuals and their families who have life threatening illnesses. They may not talk about what they do, but they could be your neighbours, your colleagues at work or your friends. They are men and women of all ages and backgrounds. They are both from professional and non-professional backgrounds, who work in many capacities of hospice.

What do Hospice Volunteers do

Their role as volunteers is to be of assistance to anyone who may need it… the client, their family, or other members of their care-team.

All Hazel Burns Hospice Volunteers must complete an extensive 30 hour “Home Visiting Volunteer ” training program offered 2 – 3 times per year.

These training modules are standardized by Hospice Association of Ontario:
• Introduction to Hospice Care
• The Art & Skill of Sensitive Communication
• Emotional & Psychological Issues of Dying & Death
• Spiritual Issues of Death & Dying
• The Family
• Illness Specific Information
• Infection Control
• Pain & Symptom Management, Practical Comfort Measures
• The Challenges of Eating
• Body Mechanics, Lifts, Transfers, Positioning & Other Skills
• Recognizing the Signs of Imminent Death, Providing Care
• Grief & Bereavement
• Ethical Issues in Hospice Care
• Responsibilities of the Volunteer
• Care for the Volunteer Caregiver

Training is free of charge in exchange for a commitment of 3 - 4 hours per week for one year.

How does the Volunteer offer support:

We offer support to the client and their family

Physical Comfort
to offer a compassionate response to the individuals needs during times of pain and suffering.

Companionship
to provide companionship to the individual and support their caregivers

Nutrition
to assist with small snacks

Rest
to allow an individual to get adequate rest

Mobility
to assist an individual to move about when it is required

Spiritual comfort
to convey receptivity and openness towards an individual’s spirituality, beliefs and values

Information needs
to support or respond to an individual’s or family’s request for information
to provide a climate of openness to clients’ and family members’ questions

Bereavement support
to express condolences on behalf of the hospice team
to facilitate support for the bereaved after the death

For further information on our volunteer services, please contact:
Ana (416)782-5915 or email hazelburns@bellnet.ca.