Volunteer Opportunities From: Volunteer Center of Sheboygan County

Aseracare Hospice is seeking available volunteers who specialize in sharing their trained pet with persons who are ill or lonely. Volunteers function as companion volunteers with the specialty focus on encouraging and enhancing patient interactions with their certified pet. There may be only one visit, but often additional or on-going pet companion visits are requested.   REQUIREMENTS: Attendance at all required sessions of Direct Volunteer Training/Orientation, including specific training discussing use of pets in patient care in various settings, as well as pertinent hospice policies and procedures. Pet must be certified for visits by a certified Pet Therapy Program, comparable to those listed on the American Kennel Club’s website. AseraCare agencies located in communities lacking a pet therapy certification group should have the pet at minimum pass obedience training and should have first visit supervised by AseraCare staff. Pet must have current rabies vaccination and Volunteer is responsible to keep this documentation current in the Volunteer’s personnel file in the Volunteer Office records. Volunteer Coordinator will conduct 2-3 supervisory visits with volunteer and pet before they make unsupervised visits. Acceptance of supervision and direction from appropriate team members as is applicable to this program. Agreement with hospice philosophy. Maintenance of appropriate boundaries and confidentiality.

AseraCare Hospice is looking for volunteers to offer a hand to hold, a listening ear, and an open heart to our hospice patients in need. Give the amount of time you are able to. Training is provided and can be completed online. Volunteers will need to pass a background check, drug test, and TB test.  We have patients in Sheboygan, WI, and the surrounding area. Volunteers under the age of 18 will need an adults signature to volunteer. We are a level 4 in the We Honor Veterans Program.

 

Aseracare Hospice is seeking volunteers who are willing to provide vigil support to patients and families. Volunteers are available who are willing and able to sit with patient who is actively dying or otherwise in need of immediate support (e.g. for management of symptoms such as anxiety, minimizing fall risk, depression, etc). The visit may address a one time need or a periodic need but differs from a companion assignment in that the focus is on providing support to the patient during a critical time in their hospice care - either while actively dying or while moving through another form of crisis or transition.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance at all required sessions of the Direct Volunteer Training/Orientation, including specific training on decision making about providing care for a patient in the Vigil/Final Bridge time and attention to providing psychosocial support for patients and family members. . Acceptance of supervision and direction from appropriate team members as is applicable to this program. Agreement with hospice philosophy. Maintenance of appropriate boundaries and confidentiality.

Aseracare Hospice is seeking volunteers who are available and willing to provide caregivers with respite volunteering by scheduling a time to visit patients in accordance with the caregivers needs. the time spent with the patient does not have a regular schedule, and may be indirect (e.g. patient companionship is less critical here than having a presence in the home to provide for emergent needs while the care giver is away). Often there is only one visit, but sometimes repeat respite visits are requested. When respite visits are regularly scheduled, they can be filled by any volunteer trained for companioning patients and function as companion visits in all ways, with the caregiver’s needs as the main priority.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance at all required sessions of the Direct Volunteer Training /Orientation course, including specific training on decision making about providing care for a patient in the care giver’s absence Acceptance of supervision and direction from appropriate team members as is applicable to this program. Agreement with hospice philosophy. Maintenance of appropriate boundaries and confidentiality. Those serving primarily as Respite Volunteers should communicate regularly with the Volunteer Coordinator their availability for scheduling purposes.

AseraCare Hospice is seeking volunteers can play a musical instrument and/or can sing and are interested in joining “Harmony of Hearts” a volunteer music outreach program.

 

“Harmony of Hearts” is a volunteer music outreach that brings peace to the dying and comfort to their families. The music outreach is to create therapeutic music to help brighten the last days/hours of life for patients. Volunteers can visit on their own or we can join together in groups of two or three and visit patients in the area, bringing them the gift of music.

 

Volunteers interested in this program must be at least 18 years of age. Volunteers under 18 must be supervised by an adult. They must be able to play an instrument or be able to sing.  Instruments with a soft and soothing sound are preferred such as guitar, autoharp or violin etc.  This program is very open and flexible to those special people that are interested in helping others. Volunteers play an important role in providing social support and decreasing isolation that can so often occur for the terminally ill.

 

Volunteers are provided free training, a training certificate, and can work flexible hours that suit their individual schedules. Volunteer training blends ancient wisdom with contemporary practices.

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES & BEHAVIORS

Must demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills. Must be able to maintain confidentiality regarding patient and company proprietary information. Must have the ability to relate professionally and positively and work cooperatively with other

employees at all levels.

 

REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be able to attend a 12-hour orientation.

This includes a free complete background check, urine screen, and tuberculosis test. If you are a grieving a significant loss of a family member, we do ask that you wait twelve months after the death before commencing hospice volunteering.

 

To volunteer is truly a gift of the heart. If you are interested in this program and can play a musical instrument and/or sing, please call Emily Umbreit at (920) 497-4672.