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http://www.jpalliativecare.com/article.asp?issn=0973-1075;year=2008;volume=14...

The IJPC has an article about retention of hospice palliative care volunteers.

 

» Abstract

This article explores the issues of hospice palliative care volunteer attrition and retention (i.e., why volunteers leave and how to keep them interested). In addition, common sources of stress for volunteers will be identified and suggestions for alleviating stress will be offered. Volunteers are special people; patients and families greatly appreciate the care and support they provide and the other staff members' (e.g., nurses) jobs are often made easier because of them. Thus, maintaining a committed group of volunteers is an extremely important task for volunteer coordinators. The literature reviewed in this article focused mostly on North American studies and was limited to research that specifically involved hospice palliative care volunteers as participants.

Posted via web from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Premier Hospice | Homecare Agency Indianapolis, IN | (317) 844 - 8700

via seniorsguideonline.com

Hope. Comfort. Dignity. Compassion for you and the ones you love. Hospice is a transition in philosophy of care from aggressive treatment to compassionate care and symptom management of a life limiting illness. Hospice offers a team approach to deal with the physical, emotional, spiritual and social impact of the disease on the patient, family and friends at the end of the life. • Home Care • Respite Care • Inpatient Care • Continuous Care • On Call 24-Hour Availability

Posted via web from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Volunteer Coordinator Position - WALLA WALLA COMMUNITY HOSPICE

WALLA WALLA COMMUNITY HOSPICE
Purpose: Responsible to Patient Care Coordinator for all aspects of the volunteer program consistent with Walla Walla Community Hospice (WWCH) policies and ...
www.wwhospice.org/documents/Volunteer_Coordinator.doc

Posted via web from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Podcast update on the hospice volunteer training online program. Beginning now

Podcast update on the hospice volunteer training online program.
Beginning now
( http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37502 )
Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 37502

Posted via email from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Hospice Volunteer Training Online Podcast - Episode 2: Site Update

The first hospice volunteer training online podcast was

released over a year ago. 

It has taken me that long to prove to the world that this

is not just another fly by night program, that quality and

integrity are vital to my business in order to educate

those who will be of service to hospice patients and families.

Everything finally fell into place.  Initially I read the

final essays of those taking the course and was in awe of

the "reasons" that people gave for taking the course.  It

looked like the program was making a significant difference

in the lives of those wishing to become hospice volunteers.

Next, I finally defined the benefit to hospices.  I knew

the benefits in my heart, but to hear the agencies who were

utilizing the program for their initial volunteer training to

really confirm that the program was on it's way to being a

legitimate, service oriented program that would ultimately

save hospices money and time while breathing new energy

into their follow up training with those who had taken

the course.

So here it is 16 months after the original podcast and I am

ready to update you on the status of the program.

*There are approximately 30 agencies now using the online

training. 

 

Each agency has it's own personalized site for

training their volunteers with a personalized certificate

of completion with the company's name and/or logo.  The

volunteer coordinator has administrative privileges and can

monitor their volunteers' progress and add users and grade

esssays.  They can also save or print the certificates.

For sites that only use the program every couple of months

or so, they are put on one web page as a sponsoring agency.

This page is not personalized with company logo, info, etc

but is a generic listing with an enrollment key so the

agency can approve/not approve the volunteers that wish to

take the course.  Unlike the personalized sites, the

sponsoring agency site has a generic certificate issued.

The volunteer coordinator has non-editing privileges and

can only view their volunteers but not edit any

information.

Only 2 sites have utilized the option to create their own

course for me to upload.  That's really okay as I had to

learn as well how to make the site flow easily with

additional material.

I discovered "inodes".  The courses were so full of

information and the individualized sites were full of

pictures and slides that I got a notice from my web host

that I had severely exceeded my inode limit.  It sounded

like a disease.  That's when I re-introduced myself to back

up plans.  I now have 2 different web hosts so that at any

time one site may go down or incur difficulties, in an

emergency I can go to the other site and immediately

(within hours) upload an agencies information so they can

continue training with a minor web address change.

 

I got critiqued! It wasn't really pretty but it got me lots of business.

I apparently use "me" or "my" too much in some places and

appearances lean toward this being a program for rural

areas only.  The good news is that this program is being

utilized in rural areas but just as much in heavily

populated areas and college students are the prime target

for participation.  They know the computer, they want their

resume to look really good by reflecting service training,

and they are more than full of the energy it takes to be a

great volunteer.

Benefits I never promoted.

I realized that all my agencies were getting my full

attention to any obstacles, questions or training. 

I didn't know I was a coach and counselor but looks like

that has played quite a role in this business when I talk

to volunteer coordinators.  I get to share ideas and then I

get to receive some great ideas to share with others.

I send blast messages on behalf of the agencies utilizing

the course.  In other words, if hospice a submits an ad on

craigslist for "volunteers wanted" - if its sent to me I

will send it to my mailing list and post to all my social

media sites.  There....I do use "my" and "me" too much!

I have been accused of lowering the value of the course by

not charging for the site set up and only charging $10 per

volunteer.  As I see more and more growth and a steady flow

of active agencies providing training I have to agree.  At

some point I will begin charging for the site set up but

for now I am just getting to the point where I can identify

my ideal client and something still considered new in the

volunteer training world has to complete it's cycle of

confirmation.  The site charges will happen, but just not

right now.  I want to be as fair as possible to those

agencies who are struggling financially to at least be able to

recruit and train a vast volunteer force.  In my thought,

the volunteer can make an agency successful if trained

appropriately.  Marketing, patient care, companionship,

administrative duties, and the intention of love for

service are invaluable.

 

Loving automation; Most of the programs run very well

without my assistance.  The volunteer signs up for their

user account and begins the course.  The volunteer

coordinator grades final essays and prints the certificate.

In a perfect world I would have nothing else to do.  But as

life goes, challenges appear and I have learned that each

one can be addressed to the satisfaction of the volunteer,

the agency and yes even to myself.

The service agreement is easily completed and emailed, the

billing is done monthly and sent by email, customers can

pay by paypal, checck or money order.  Volunteers can

always call me or contact me by email for assistance and I

send out regular messages regarding updates. 

 

The most fun I have is congratulating the volunteer coordinator

on a job well done.  When I see 10 new volunteers trained in a

month, I know that coordinator has put in lots of hours,

blood, sweat and tears to make it happen.  I want them to

know I have noticed.

It's been one of the most fulfilling years in my life.  A

new business, a new grandson, and a motivation for creating

the best product I possibly can to assist in an economical 

investment for hospice agencies and to enable in others

the power of being of service.

Next time we will discuss how to set up your site for your

agency.  This includes

1. Getting administration to approve participation in the program 

2. The service agreement 

3. What's needed to get your site up and ready for training.

4.  How to create a new user account and receive administrative privileges.

I would like to end with one of the stories that has gotten

the most attention this week on my blog posts. With

Memorial Day being observed at the beginning of the week,

the story was very appropriate.

http://volunteertraining.posterous.com/cornerstone-

salutes-honoring-us-veterans

Join me next time for "Setting Up Your Personalized Site". 

Anyone interested in utilizing the hospice volunteer

training online program can join in and ask questions.  The

number to call is  (724) 444-7444 and the Call ID: 37502

The live call is scheduled for Fridays at 12 noon.

Posted via web from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Preserving their voices: S.L. County hospice records patients' stories - Salt Lake Tribune

Ron Pruitt, from left, Kimberly Dunford, Charles Pruitt, Larry Pruitt and Jim Pruitt are children of Hershel Pruitt, a World War II veteran. Charles and his siblings got together with a volunteer and recorded what they knew about their dad's life. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The life of Hershell Pruitt was remembered in bits.

His five children each hold a piece. Last week, they gathered at the hospice to say goodbye to their 86-year-old father, a World War II veteran of the Pacific campaign, who passed away Friday after a bout with Alzheimer's disease.

But before he died, his family began putting those stories together to form the arc of a spectacularly full life.

There to preserve Pruitt's story on a digital recording was a volunteer from Silverado Hospice of Utah who interviewed the family, part of a new program to capture the details of terminal patients' lives. The recordings are then pressed onto CDs and given to surviving family members.

"Getting us all together, we each added a little piece to the story," said son Charles Pruitt, 46, of Salt Lake City. "Each of us in turn told a story, and we were engaged and just sitting on the edge of our seats. It was a different perspective on my father's life."

Since the Memory Catcher program started earlier this year at Silverado, a handful of volunteers have recorded the stories of terminal patients for about 15 families, said volunteer Eileen Allen, who interviewed the Pruitts for their father's history. It's a free service operated by Silverado Hospice of Utah.

"We did not do that with my father, and we should have done it," Allen said. Her father was a veteran of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars. "That's why this program appealed to me when I was looking for an avenue to volunteer."

The Memory Catcher program was inspired by University of Utah English professor Meg Brady, who initiated an audio history program for terminal patients at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Brady helped train hospice volunteers in interviewing techniques. Preserving a loved's one voice is significant, said David Pascoe, the hospice center's chaplain. "And when they pass away, you've got this record -- not a written history, but

(Upper left-hand corner) Hershell Pruitt on the U.S. Navy Destroyer where he served on during World War II. ( Photo courtesy of the Pruitt family)

Mom or Dad's voice."

"We've been doing this for the last several months, and some of these stories are just amazing," Pascoe said. "Some are World War II vets who haven't told these stories before, and they tell these amazing tales of marching across Europe or through the beaches on D-Day."

Hershell Pruitt was reluctant to talk to his family about his war days. "He told us it was not something that he thought was pleasant conversation," Charles Pruitt said. "In fact, he had a very hard time watching any movie or television show that looked at war in any sort of light way. I remember watching 'M*A*S*H,' and he said, 'War is not funny, there was nothing funny about it.' "

But Pruitt, who served on a naval destroyer that once escorted Gen. Douglas MacArthur, occasionally would recount certain stories to his children.

"We all know sort of a few anecdotes," Charles Pruitt said. "He would mention someone he met in basic training in Hawaii, and he would tell small stories about people, and a little bit about places."

The siblings' two-hour recording session at the center proved to be emotional and exhausting. "At the end, we were just tired, but in a pleasant way," Charles Pruitt said. "It was in a way sort of cathartic."

And very much worth it, the son noted, because he and each of his siblings now have a CD that captures the essence and details of their father's incredible life that they can pass on to their children.

"This is something that's going to be in our family forever and will be very important to us," Charles Pruitt said. "I can imagine my daughter listening to it. I hope she'll treasure it and listen to it as often as she likes."

vince@sltrib.com

Preserving their voices

-->

Catching memories

For information about the Silverado Hospice, call chaplain David Pascoe at 801-506-1500.

via sltrib.com

Posted via web from Hospice Volunteer Training Online

Man, 74, turns to hospice to accept death and finds life

A little over a year ago, Smith, 74, endured multiple surgeries to connect three leads to a biventricular device in an attempt to stabilize his improperly beating heart.

Within four months, his world consisted of a large chair in a converted Florida room and his bed.

"I had a urinal, cane and oxygen," he said. "I had no quality of life."

He credits the focused individual care from the social, medical and volunteer staff of Hospice of Marion County for the turnaround that gave him back his life.

Earl and Veronica "Ronnie" Smith, his wife of 52 years, recently shared a crab cake dinner in Huntingtown, Md., with their "overjoyed" daughter, Linda Turner, 46.

The family was celebrating Earl's recovery as well as Turner's college graduation.

The trip to Maryland, and a recent trip to Daytona Beach allowing Earl to fly his beloved specialty kites, seemed unimaginable just months ago, when he and his family considered his death "imminent."

The hospital had discharged Earl with what the family said was end stage congestive heart failure.

"The cardiologist said to 'get his affairs in order,' " Ronnie Smith said.

"My heart function was less than 20 percent," Earl said.

He lost the desire to eat. His weight dropped from 300 to 164 pounds. He suffered a 30-pound fluid build-up in his body.

"He couldn't brush his teeth," Ronnie said, as she described her husband as an active man, Army veteran and antique car and kite buff.

Ronnie called Linda and asked her to come home; then she called the family priest.

"I made my peace with myself and Ronnie," Earl said.

The Rev. Bob Greaves, a neighbor and chaplain with Hospice of Marion County, suggested hospice care for Earl.

"I was angry and in denial, saying 'Why me?' " Earl said as he recalled warding off efforts to bring hospice caregivers to his home under the Transitions program.

And it wouldn't be his first encounter with hospice. He and Ronnie had hospice care in 1997 when their adopted son, Glenn, then 29, died of Ewing's carcinoma.

"I saw an ad about hospice and have volunteered (in Maryland and Florida) since 1980," Ronnie said, explaining that Earl also was a hospice volunteer in both states.

"Glenn said, 'No hospice, Mom, because then I'm sick,' " Ronnie said.

"I told Glenn, 'I need hospice,' " she said.

The visits allowed them more time with their son, a veteran of Navy intelligence operations, without concern for outside details.

"Earl didn't believe hospice care could help in his state," Greaves said as he described explaining to Earl that "the intense care of hospice is what he really needed."

Greaves described that care as a team effort involving physicians, chaplains, social workers and nurses.

"The hospice doctor came out and said, 'No wonder you can't live; you have too much medicine,' " Earl said. "He treated me like an old friend."

"Earl's healing is also attributed to the couple's faith," Greaves said.

Lila Ivey, Community Outreach Director with Hospice of Marion County, calls a case of great improvement such as Earl's a "revocation."

She recounted another revocation story of "terminal emphysema" patient Joey Weisbaum, 54, who "after a year on the program got so much stronger she qualified for surgery and now will probably outlive all of us."

Ivey stressed "the number one fact" is that anyone call make a referral to hospice, although most people wait for the doctor.

"Just make the phone call" and a nurse will visit and make an assessment, Ivey explained.

Transitions is a free community service available to anyone with a life-limiting illness, providing assistance with tasks like running errands, light food preparation and companionship before and after medical treatment, according to Lisa Varner of Hospice of Marion County.

Atwua Middleton, an 11-year employee, works with terminally ill patients.

"Sometimes I am the last word, the last prayer," Middleton said. "It's a ministry."

"Hospice is not really an end of life program," Turner said. "They are caretakers; they are angels."

via ocala.com

Posted via web from The Hospice VC