Survey says, "I want to die in the hospital"????

While surveys point us to believe that most Americans wish to die at home it would be interesting to see how many caregivers wish for their loved one to die at home.

 

Another point for using hospice.  Social workers and case managers can help us as caregivers come to terms with the feelings that we can't deal with the death of a loved one at home.

 

A social worker once spent time with the wife of a patient who said she did not want her husband to die at home.  "Please make sure it happens in a hospital".

The husband said he wanted to be at home but knew his wife could not handle it. 

I wonder when we will be able to accept the death of a loved one at home?  I certainly don't want to experience it but if my husband wants to be at home when he passes, that is where he will be and I hope he can do the same for me.  Fortunately, we are not having to make that decision at this time of our lives so it is a perfect time to discuss it.

What's your thoughts about someone you love dying in their own home?

 

Train to be a hospice volunteer.  Create your account here.

Posted via email from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

10 Ways to Be a Difference Maker as a Hospice Volunteer

#1 Take the hospice volunteer training program online

#2 Explain your role as a volunteer  to your personal health care provider

#3 Find out a patient's most valued accomplishment

#4 Give the caregiver a hand massage

#5 Encourage laughter

#6 Learn - and share - good meditation practices

#7 Enjoy examining spiritual truths - yours and your patient's

#8 Listen intently and learn to revel in silent friendships

#9 Use healing intentions frequently in thought

#10 Share, learn, grow, love - be a hospice volunteer at heart with all your relationships

"

Posted via email from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog: Hospice Volunteer Training Ethical Issues

The ethical situations confronting the newly trained volunteer must usually be addressed as they occur. One of the reasons I developed the online training course was to get the educational core presented quickly so that the volunteer could immediately begin acquiring the skills to cope with ethical situations. The following article explains the importance of face to face training as well as continuing education and support: Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog: Hospice Volunteer Training Ethical Issues

Now to get the word out about Volunteer Training!

Here comes the tricky part. The hospice volunteer training online program is in full swing and I am excited, elated, telling everyone about the impact this one idea can have on hospice.

It is usually at this point in my excitement that I go a little overboard in my emails and face-to-face visits. I eat, sleep, and live for the chance to tell people how awesome it is going to be to have volunteers sign up immediately at the point of interest and begin their training.

That is why I am posting here today. If I let all this energy come out on this page, maybe I won't get in trouble for spamming someone.

On the other hand, it is with good intentions (and the road to you know where is paved with them) so I may be allowed a little slack from those who I approach and begin blabbering about how good this is.

One day you turn 50, and all of a sudden it is imperative that you make your mark on the world. Actually I have been wanting to make my mark on the world since I was 3, it just took another 47 years to figure out how.

If anyone wants to help this old lady by empathizing with the excitement, please feel free to visit the site:
Hospice Volunteer Training Online

As almost always happens, I get really energized by having company, and felt so much better than I had when I first got up, and have continued to feel well for the rest of the day.

This is from the blogpost "Life as A Hospice Patient". It is what I envision volunteers doing for hospice patients. In this case it was friends visiting, bringing well thought out gifts, and ending in a fortune cookie reading of "If you don't have time to live your life now, when do you?"

I think volunteer visits should bring just as much energy to the patient as a visit from a friend. What do you think?

On Hospice Training - day 6 you can read how a day in the face to face training goes.

I find it interesting that each hospice has specific educational tools for in person training and all I have found seem very good. The core courses, as taught in the online course are the basics for getting the advanced education you will receive in instructor based training.

The online training is an excellent guide to the history and philosophy of hospice, the infection control and confidentiality, etc. I feel it leaves room for more personalization in the classroom once the basics are covered.

The above mentioned post reflects the great information studied and learned as you get into the later stages of training

Hospice Blog: Hospice in the Stimulus Bill

Volunteers can keep up to date on the political side of hospice and help in making the community aware of changes in our health care system. Hospiceblog does a great job of informing us of regulatory and medical topics of interest and I felt it was important to link them to this blog. The post on their site is short and sweet today but it refers you to some interesting information
Hospice Blog: Hospice in the Stimulus Bill

Hospice Volunteer Training Online

After an extensive search of online training programs for hospice volunteers, I finally found one - mine.

I found a few programs that were excellent in content but the training would still have to completely be done in a face to face setting.

Much of the initial work of hospice volunteer training consists of the core concepts. Volunteer coordinators spend countless hours preparing for training sessions and by the time a facility is acquired, mailings and calls are made, and staff lined up to assist in the training, some of the prospective volunteers have already lost interest or are obligated elsewhere.

I thought it would be a great idea to cover the core courses with online training that would allow prospective volunteers the opportunity to begin training on their own from their computer....

Thus the birth of Hospice Volunteer Training Online.

I hope volunteer coordinators from around the country can benefit from offering an immediate solution to training needs. The release of this program will be March 1st, 2009.

Between now and March 1st, I will be posting the status of the online course and accepting inquiries at hospicevolunteertraining@gmail.com

The excitement of the potential of this program has made it easy to complete the course curriculum. Unless someone can point to another program like this, I am assuming this will be the very first online training for hospice volunteers.

How exciting is that?