Ascension at Home Hospice in Rhinelander and Woodruff is looking for volunteers to help with people at the end of their lives.
Hospice is provided to the terminally ill with a six month or less prognosis. The Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator with Ascension at Home, Sarah Toboyek, says they need volunteers...
"..We are Medicare mandated to have 5 percent of patient care come from volunteers. That is why we've been doing a push to help us have volunteers and come do some things with out agency, including direct patient care..."
Some of the areas where volunteers can help is in patient and family support, pet therapy, veteran to veteran support, and other areas. Sarah Toboyek says there has been a growing need for hospice in the region..
"...A lot of growth in this area with people coming into hospice services. We'll see more of that in the summer and also 'snow birds' start coming up here..."
She says volunteers perform a variety of duties. She says the try to match the volunteer with the patient and the interests of both.
There is a pre-requisite training session that begins on Monday April 1.
The training sessions are from 9-12 noon at Ascension at Home on East Davenport St. in Rhinelander and from 1:30 -4:00 p.m. on U.S. 51 in Woodruff.
""The curriculum provides a foundation for end-of-life care, Things like death awareness, communications, family dynamics, terminal diseases, the dying process, pain and symptom management, end of life decisions, spirituality and grief..."
Classes are free but space is limited. Pre-registration is due by March 26. More information is at 800-643-4463.
