2nd Annual Compassion and Wisdom Conference

The 2nd Annual Compassion and Wisdom Conference will be held in San Diego Thursday, February 27th through Sunday, March 1st.  Should be an interesting conference.  Here is the schedule:

February 27- March 1, 2014
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Mission Bay
San Di

San Diego Hospice Closes

Unfortunate result -- hard to believe that such a prominent hospice could fall like this...choice was likely for the benefit of the patients they served.

The biggest referral source for the hospice was Scripps and they decided to provide care to thei

Consider the Conversation, a documentary about unintended consequences

This documentary, Consider the Conversation, has physicians asking "what the hell are we doing here?" as they contemplate the end of life care they are giving to patients. "The system is broken." This documentary airs next week on Wisconsin Public Te

San Diego Hospice Declares Bankruptcy

Sadly, one of the most prominent non-profit hospices in the country declared bankruptcy yesterday. The San Diego Hospice continues to provide services under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy laws but has had to dramatically cut back on the number of patie

Hospice Volunteer Connections

I'm sure that all hospice workers have stories about the connections to the patients and families that they serve.  Greg Schneider has been a hospice volunteer for over 15 years and shares a story about a Serendipitous Connection that was made when h

Hospice: Volunteering at the End of Life

"Volunteers are an integral and valued part of the team," says Taren Sterry, manager of volunteer services for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care. "They provide that extra level of care and comfort that neighbors used to provide for

What people talk about before they die

This article illustrates that those who do not serve in the hospice profession often don't understand why we here in the Hospice Community Forum choose to be with people on their journey at the end of their lives. They also do not understand that our

Resources for Hospice Volunteer Vigiling Programs

HVA has a number of resources relating to vigiling programs.  Here are some suggestions:

• The HCF Volunteer Vigiling Group is a good start.
• HVA's National Hospice Document Repository (NHDR) is an excellent resource for volunteer program information.

Unsafe Care Situations

Volunteers and staff who provide care to those under hospice care can witness situations that can make them feel helpless due to the complexity of the caregiving situation.

I had a personal experience with a hospice patient whose caregiver was the sp

Communicating With and Supporting Those Who Are Dying

I just added a post on the subject topic of this post...check out our Books Group for more info.

Greg Schneider
Founder & President, HVA
HCF Creator

"I Don't Know What To Say"

When people we love are dying, we all too often are unable to help them — or even talk to them — or face our own conflicting feelings about the impending loss. This authoritative and empathetic guide demystifies the dying process and offers practical

Patient Data Vault (PDV) Begins 4th Year

HVA has processed nearly 30,000 forms for its member hospices since it first launched its Patient Data Vault (PDV) subscription service 3 years ago.  This service has made the lives of many volunteer coordinators and their volunteers much easier at a

Cultivating Presence In The Touch Relationship

Cultivating Presence In The Touch Relationship

Touch is our organic language; therefore you would assume that touch is an easy communication. There are however, very challenging aspects to being fully present with the touch component to caregiving.

A

A volunteer hour or not a volunteer hour - that is the question (con't)

• Originally posted to the Forum by Janet Blawn on June 4, 2011 at 4:21pm
• Send Message   View Discussions

QAPI (Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement) Program Requirements

Vigiling at the Guest House -- Listening To Your Inner Guide

Listening To Your Inner Guide
When I first began volunteering in 1996, I was trained by Frank Ostaseski, the founder of the Zen Hospice Project. Zen Hospice had a residential facility with 5 beds called the Guest House, which is where I served the eve

Vigiling -- Listening To Your Inner Guide

Listening To Your Inner Guide
When I first began volunteering in 1996, I was trained by Frank Ostaseski, the founder of the Zen Hospice Project. Zen Hospice had a residential facility with 5 beds called the Guest House, which is where I served the eve

Define Direct Patient Care Hours

This discussion originated by Donna Balko on July 13, 2010 at 11:43am and was transferred by Greg Schneider to the Volunteer Management Group, as this is a topic of discussion appropriate to that group. 

PLEASE NOTE: Volunteer coordinators and mana

The Big Lie

[My comments: Tolstoy's novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, provides insight into the life of a high court judge in 19th-century Russia who left serious reflection on his own life until hours before his death. The process of dying, which for him start

Do you offer a different training for clerical volunteers versus clinical volunteers?

This question was asked by HCF member, Ocean Sharp, a volunteer coordinator in Kokomo, Indiana. There are different philosophies on training of volunteers. In my experience, these philosophies are influenced by the nature of the organization (i.e. si