Why Choose to be a Hospice Palliative Care Volunteer?
(From the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association)- "Because it's fun," says Mary Jane. Mary Jane comes from a family with a long history of volunteering and spent her working life in community agencies where she was inspired by the contribution of volunteers. "I may be retired from work now," she says, "but I'm not retired from life."
Mary Jane chairs the development committee, and is involved in many aspects of her provincial hospice palliative care association's fundraising activities. "When you volunteer, you choose a particular job because you like doing it, and it really is true that you get more out of it than you give." - "Because I know there's a real need for listening support for ill and grieving people and their families in the community," says Joan. Volunteer Joan spends a morning each week in the office offering telephone bereavement support and helps to organize annual memorial services. Joan stresses that the continuing education she receives helps her to reach out to people, not just for her volunteer work but also in her daily life.
Whether you're a front-line volunteer caring for someone at the bedside, or involved behind the scenes with a local hospice palliative care organization there's something for everyone.
For more information about palliative care volunteering, call Lorraine Badry at 780.226.6743
