Make A Commitment to Life

Volunteer for Hospice

The philosophy of hospice is a simple one based upon comfort and care.  Rather than curing a disease at all costs, the hospice team seeks to make a patient as comfortable as possible by relieving the pain associated with life-limiting illness.  The hospice team typically consists of personal care physicians, registered nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, speech and physical therapists, and trained volunteers, all of whom play integral roles in helping make the patient's life more enjoyable.  Treating the patient in the comfort of their residence is also a defining characteristic of hospice treatment.

A trained volunteer pays visit to their patient on a regular basis.  These visits can include simple activities such as reading, walking, and talking.  Often times, a patient experiencing an end of life illness only needs someone to sit with them perhaps even in silence.  At times just the warm feeling of someone's presence, of someone who cares, can make all the difference in a patient's life.

Volunteers often describe their experience visiting Hospice patient's as life altering.  Serving as a companion to someone who suffers from terminal illness can not only help the patient's comfort, but it can also frame a volunteer's life in a new, more humbling perspective.  Do not simply take my word for it.  Check out a first hand testimonial from Johanna, one our long time volunteers:

Johanna visiting a patient.

 "Sometimes people (including my husband) have asked me if being a hospice volunteer isn’t a little too depressing. I must say it is truly a blessing to have the opportunity to serve families and patients during hard times. Being a hospice volunteer is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. As a hospice volunteer, I not only help patients and families by making their lives a little easier a few of times a month, but I also feel I’m making a difference in people’s lives by giving back to a community that has offered me so much."

- Johanna, Hospice Volunteer

“No joy can equal the joy of serving others.” 

-Sai Baba

Medi Home Hospice welcomes all compassionate, caring individuals to become volunteers!

If you would like to find out more about becoming a hospice volunteer please contact the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, Travis Kennedy at 804-732-0108 or via e-mail at tkennedy@msa-corp.com.