Hello everyone: I'd like to let you know about a group I just started for anyone interested in after-death communication. Here's the link: https://hospicevolunteerassociation.ning.com/group/ADC
Read more…I am a fairly new Volunteer Coordinator. I am also a RN so this role is a little different for me. My main difficulty is volunteer recruitment. I started out with only a few volunteers and have increased the numbers but it has been very difficult. Ou
Read more…Do you work with volunteers who are under 18, and if so, what kind of things do they do? Can they make visits alone, unsupervised by a hospice staff person or adult volunteer (I'm thinking in a SNF or RCFE)? I occasionally receive inquiries from teen
Read more…Have you heard death rattle sounds while with a patient? Many people find this experience very disturbing. The sounds are gurgling, rattle-like noises resulting from excessive secretions in the throat. Some assume the patient is choking. Drugs can re
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Julie Cranz
Hospice Volunteer Coordinator
Hospice of Western Kentucky
Owensboro, KY
http://www.hospiceohiovalley.org/
Our Hospice started an ACCESS committee in order to identify, educate, and serve populations that we do not currently serve. We h
I am looking for an easy to use database to manage my volunteer information. Does anyone have a suggestion. Free or really cheap is best. Thanks
Read more…Humor has a lot do do with the kinds of interactions my patients and I share. My terminally ill patients are often funny, not only with me, but with others with whom they have contact. A very engaging patient remembered many hilarious stories about h
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What does research say about dying people wanting hospice-palliative care volunteers? According to the “The American Journal of Hospice Palliative Care," research at Mount Allison University yielded the following results using 100 adults:
Participa
Hospices use bears for companionship with dying patients and for grief support with families after loved ones have died. Some hospices collect donations of new bears from the public. Others have volunteers that sew “memory bears” made from fabrics o
Is anyone doing this or know of a hospice provider who is? I have been asked to look at the possiblility of providing this serivce to our hospice families.
Read more…How/what do you train your hospice volunteers that helps to increase family caregiver confidence on dying process and knowing what to do at time of death?
Who would you like to be there or not when you are dying, and when you pass on? Why and why not?
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We use Allscripts and are in the process of setting up PDV. Since Allscripts and PDV are not yet compatible, it seems that I will need to input all the patient information from Allscripts into the PDV which appears will be more work since now I only
Read more…I had to take down some of my sites due to financial constraints and all of my information is now available on BeyondtheVeil.net
Two of my books are now out-of-print, "Through the Tunnel" and "Beginner's Guide to Conscious Dying." I've replaced them
Read more…Hospice workers face unique challenges as they interact regularly with terminally ill patients and their families. How do workers in the various hospice disciplines rate their job satisfaction? Researchers at the Center for Bioethics at the Universi
Read more…Do you believe in miracles? If so, you share company with many others. As a hospice volunteer, I noticed early on that many patients held strong religious and spiritual beliefs. These beliefs were important to them when making decisions about their m
Read more…I am currently closing up the 2011 year and planning for 2012... Being that we are a small hospice in a big city with big hospices, I have a hard time recruiting volunteers... The other day I had a brainstorm idea and I wanted to see if anyone else d
Read more…We require our CCP's to submit their progress notes within 48 hours of the visit. Does anyone know if there is a specific regulation about complementary care practioners?
Thank you.
Read more…Does anyone know of a video that could be used for an inservice for visitor volunteers who struggle a bit with ways to interact with a dementia patient who is non-verbal?
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Ten Steps to Being a Great Hospice Volunteer
By Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes
1) Remember why you serve.
There’s a reason you feel compelled to enhance lives of th
Read more…by Rashani Rea & Kathy Douglas
Those who companion suffering daily, such as hospice nurses and volunteers, will surely appreciate this beautiful work. With 62 original art collages by Rashani Réa, five beautiful chapters by Kathy Douglas, and a foreword by Jean Watson, this exquisite book is a peaceful refuge for contemplation, inquiry, reflection and inspiration for those who traverse the joys and sorrows of nursing.
Kathy Douglas, RN, MPH-HA is a nationally recognized nurse leader, filmmaker and entrepreneur.
Rashani Réa is a prolific artist and musician, a creatrice of sanctuaries and a respected spiritual mentor.
“This is a beloved book and beyond a book. It is an evocative, poetic, ecstatic, and inspirited sacred, experiential calling. A calling to you--YES, YOU.”
— Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, Living Legend (AAN)
“Those who companion suffering daily need to turn inward to metabolize what they have witnessed. This exquisite book, filled with beautiful images and poetic wise words, is the inspiration and support needed to grow a wise heart.”
— Frank Ostaseski, founder and director of the Metta Institute and author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully
“In this unique time of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book should be considered a tribute to the tremendous courage being displayed by nurses around the world. There is much wisdom conveyed throughout by those who have been there serving others with such grace.”
— Greg Schneider President, HVA, co-author of The Changing Face of Hospice Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care
