I have been a hospice volunteer coordinator for 6 1/2  years and while I love my job and find a great deal of personal satisfaction from it, I am always struck by people's odd responses when they discover what I do for a living. Volunteers get most of those same reactions whenever they choose to reveal to any friend or acquaintance that they are a hospice volunteer. There are a range of responses, most of which are dead wrong or at best ill-informed. I’d like to present, and refute, what I consider the seven most pernicious myths about hospice.

 “To volunteer with the dying, that is SO SAD! How can you stand it!”

While sadness is always a factor in many things in life, it is no more a factor in hospice than in many other things. In fact, you could try telling people that your little selfish secret is that you volunteer to rehearse for your own end of life!  Also, there is great care, love and even humor in serving our patients. You are never more your self, your true self, than when you at the last. The joy of a 100^th Birthday celebration with over 60 guests is something to cherish and celebrate! 

 “You mean you’re there when someone who’s not even a relative or friend is dying?”

If I were to train as a death doula, I may well be at a person’s actual death. However, in nearly all cases, hospice volunteers are not present at the time of their patient’s death, unless they have specifically asked the person and the family if they may attend the dying. There are specially trained hospice volunteers who are known as 'vigil volunteers" and they re expecting to be present when a person passes away. It could be considered an honor, not an ordeal.

 

 “Why do these people need volunteers?”

Although hospice care inherently includes a team (which is made up of doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice aides, spiritual support chaplains, and other skilled professionals) , it is the only Medicare/Medicaid funded service that REQUIRES volunteer service be provided. From the patient’s and family’s viewpoint, a volunteer is a non-paid, non-professional who has no legal, financial or even moral obligation to attend to a dying person. So volunteering is a true gift, as much as donating blood. And let’s be clear that the patient nearly always, and the family usually, become very aware of and grateful for that gift.

 “To be a volunteer, you have to go to a hospital. I don’t like hospitals.”

A small percentage of hospice patients are in a hospital for any time. The vast majority are cared for in their own homes, and a much smaller percentage in nursing homes. Visiting with a hospice patient in his or her home is a wonderful way to get to know them well, and to assist them in continuing, as much as they are able, to do those things that have given them joy all their lives – music, art, movies, reading, even games.

     

“Isn’t hospice only for terminal cancer patients? I’m scared of cancer!”

In fact, hospice is for people with any medical condition that an attending physician has certified will probably lead to their death within six months. There are many other terminal diagnoses other than cancer. Truth is though - you cannot 'catch' cancer - it is not like a cold or a flu virus. 

“If these patients are so sick, isn’t it dangerous to be a volunteer to them?”

That is where good hospice training is a must. Training teaches you how to handle any kind of possibility of contamination. Even more important, training reinforces how to prevent the contamination the patient, which is much more likely. In fact, a very small percentage of hospice patients pose any threat to volunteers or anyone else.

“I think that asking for hospice services is giving up on your life, and I never would want to give up.”

My message to anyone thinking about volunteering for hospice, or, even more, anyone who has a loved one who could benefit from hospice is: HOSPICE IS THE FINAL GIFT OF LOVE YOU CAN GIVE. You can give it to your loved one, and also to yourself. Why is that so? Because a well-run hospice program will provide the entire range of medical, social, and even psychological/emotional supports needed by the patient in one place. No more coping with up to a dozen different provider organizations, no more running around to office after office, no more one group not knowing what the other group is doing. The integrated care team concept of hospice is one of the best assets any patient and family can wish for. Hospice is not about giving up or losing hope. It's about being hopeful and living life to it's fullest no matter what the journey brings.

 Would you consider joining others on their last journey? 

We are actively growing our hospice volunteer program and we would like you to know that if you have a desire to become involving in making a difference in the lives of the dying we will give you that opportunity! Medi Hospice is located in Fredericksburg, Chesapeake, Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg and Manassas, Virginia. Each office has a Volunteer Coordinator who will meet and discuss with you our volunteer opportunities. Listed below are the contact numbers should you desire to join our team.

Fredericksburg (540)361-7696

Chesapeake (757) 420-7190

Charlottesville (434) 244-0890

Richmond (804) 282-4301

Petersburg (804) 732-0108

Manassas (703) 392-7100