The roles of hospice volunteers have morphed during the pandemic in ways that could have lasting impacts on how providers mold care delivery models – including increasing clinical capacity.
Volunteer recruitment and retention has been a challenge during the pandemic, with hospices pivoting around shifting regulations and safety protocols. The reduced capacity has some hospice providers furrowing their brows with the return of the requirement that volunteers provide a minimum of 5% of hospice patient care hours.
Reaching the 5% threshold represents one of the biggest stressors as hospices navigate the new normal of shifting volunteer roles and preferences in the pandemic’s wake, according to Lori Showalter, manager of volunteer services and community outreach at Augusta Health’s Hospice of the Shenandoah, based in Virginia. She stated this during the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) Interdisciplinary Team Conference.
“For many folks, that’s the landscape of change, that they are stressing over – that the mandate will be back and that we will be expected to show the 5% by the end of 2023,” Showalter said. “There are some volunteers...
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Greg Schneider
HCF Creator
President, Hospice Volunteer Association
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