Hospice Volunteers Bring Comfort, Love and Respect

National Volunteer Week is April 21 – 27, 2013 and Hospice Services of Lake County honors its core of dedicated volunteers who provide support and companionship to patients who are facing serious and life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones.

Volunteers Make a Difference

 “We could not do the work we do without the gifts of time and talent from our hospice volunteers who support our organization and walk with patients and families during the journey at life’s end,” said Anja Koot, executive director of Hospice.

Here in Lake County, 150 volunteers provide 15,000 hours per year to help Hospice Services of Lake County care for patients and families in the community.

Hospice volunteers often visit patients and families in the home but they also assist in the office, help raise awareness, contribute to educational programs, provide fundraising support and volunteer in the four Hospice Thrift Stores in Lakeport, Lucerne, Middletown and Clearlake.

Hospice volunteers help the people they serve live every moment of life to the fullest and enable the organizations they work with to achieve their mission in the community. Most hospice volunteers choose to give their time helping others because of their own experience with the compassionate care hospice provided to a dying loved one.

“I enjoy volunteering because it has been rewarding, helping someone when they are going through what they are is great. You really learn a lot not only about the client but about life.”, wrote V.A., a hospice volunteer in Lake County.

It is federally mandated under Medicare that five percent of all patient care hours be provided by trained volunteers. This regulation reflects the vital role that volunteers play in the hospice philosophy of care and ensures that a hospice program has roots deep in the community.

For those interested in learning more about hospice or volunteer opportunities, please call Laurie Fisher at 263-6222 or lfisher@lakecountyhospice.org.