Volunteering for Hospice
Hospice Volunteers
Volunteers provide important services to hospice organizations and the people they serve. Whether it’s providing companionship to a person in the final months and weeks of life, offering support to family members and caregivers, or helping with community outreach and fundraising, the contributions of volunteers are essential to the important work provided by our nation’s hospice programs.
Hospice care in the U.S. was founded by volunteers and there is continued commitment to volunteer service – in fact, Medicare regulations require that hospices have trained volunteers as a part of the services they provide.
More than 450,000 trained volunteers provide more than 22 million hours of service every year.
By being a hospice volunteer, you can gain great personal satisfaction from knowing that you have made an impact in another person’s life and in your community.
Every hospice will have a screening process and volunteer training program. The best way to begin is to learn more about volunteering:
- Download Hospice Volunteers: Helping People LIVE
- Contact your local hospice to ask about volunteer opportunities and the specific requirements and application process they have in place. If you need help finding a hospice, visit NHPCO’s “find a provider” tool online.
- Meet the 2011 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice award recipients.
- You may be interested in volunteer publications that’s available from the Marketplace.
