Volunteer Coordinator Communication

[Debra Heinzelman]

I have volunteered with different hospice organizations and find that some handle commnications between their volunteers and the hospice family/patient differently.  Some prohibit direct communication between the volunteer and the family/patient and others encourage direct communication when setting up times to volunteer, allowing them to call the volunteer's home.  I can understand why all communication should go through the volunteer coordinator to maintain some control when setting up volunteer times/dates.  Any thoughts as to why there is a difference?

[Greg Schneider]

Ginger, glad to hear that you agree...it just adds frustration for the patient/family (& volunteer), which they certainly would prefer be minimized.

I think it is good practice that families do not have the volunteer's phone number, however, with the availability of caller ID these days, that may be difficult.  In that case volunteers must let the patient/families know that if they ever need assistance that they are more likely to have their needs met but calling the hospice first -- that this is hospice policy to make sure that they receive the care they need expeditiously.

 

[Frances Shani Parker]

Greg, Caller ID can be blocked by dialing *67 before you dial the number.

 

Nowadays, you can't trust Caller ID anyway. Scammers are adding any ID they want to add. It's called spoofing. Check out the video below. Wait for brief commercial to finish.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/26881047/index.html 

[Debra Heinzelman]

Great responses, thank you.  As a volunteer for many years, I have found that the hospice organizations that I have served where direct communication is allowed between the volunteer and the patient/family, that sometimes the family calls often for help with other things other than what the volunteer is assigned to do.  It can make a volunteer feel badly if they cannot help for those other requests.

 

Greg makes a good point - it is important for the volunteer to advise the family that any communication, other than perhaps having to get a hold of the volunteer regarding the appointment time, should be done through the volunteer coordinagtor.

[Ginger Askew]

Volunteers contact the patient/family directly to set up visit times - oh my,  being the middle man for that would be a nightmare!  We do discourage our volunteers from giving out their personal telephone number to avoid burn out due to needy families.  If a family needs to get ahold of their volunteer between visits, they call our office to get ahold of me and I contact the volunteer to call them.

[Frances Shani Parker]

Greg's words "organizations that do not respect that hospice volunteers are responsible adults and serve patients in a professional manner" are very important. If hospice volunteers are being told they are part of a hospice team, they should be encouraged to feel that they are respected team members, not just micomanaged workers assigned to volunteer a certain amount of time to meet organization requirements. If ongoing team spirit, trust, and respect are not demonstrated beyond lip service, no amount of annual volunteer celebrations and slogans can overcome that.

 

As on any job, there will be some volunteers who don't mind having their functions minimalized and overly micromanaged with little or no input from them. But the productive input of many who are willing to offer much more will be suppressed if this becomes the work standard for operating. If this is the culture of the organization, productive input of staff members at other levels and also patient-family input go underutilized. Finding the appropriate balance is what creates true team spirit and progressive organizations.

[Greg Schneider]

Well said!!

[Greg Schneider]

I have been fortunate enough to volunteer with hospices that allow you to communicate directly.  I believe this is most common.  Organizations that require you to communicate through a volunteer coordinator are not acting in the best interest of the patient/family because it unnecessarily lengthens the communication time.

 

I suspect that organizations that don't allow direct communication do so because they had some bad experience with the volunteer communicating directly.  As a result, their policy is now affecting every patient they serve by making communication more difficult.

 

I find such policies representative of organizations that do not respect that hospice volunteers are responsible adults and serve patients in a professional manner.  There are volunteers as well as paid staff members who may occasionally make poor decisions.  This should not ripple through in a way that makes the patients and their families suffer.

 

Greg Schneider

President, HVA

HCF Creator

[Frances Shani Parker]

I have also worked with different hospice organizations and have noticed different practices on several levels, not just communication. These differences can be good and accomplish similar goals sometimes, but not always. Some of these differences have a lot to do with the culture of the organization. In my dealings with hospice organizations in different parts of the country, I have observed that some are far more progressive in their approaches to problem solving, more supportive of volunteer-patient-family input, and more equitable in their demonstrated commitment to the hospice philosophy. Even when some staff members of hospice organizations do not agree with an established non-proactive culture, for various reasons (fear, politics, apathy, etc.), they go along anyway, and needed systemic changes lag.