VNA Hospice
“You matter because you are you. You matter to the last moment of your life. We will do all we can – not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”
- Dame Cicely Saunders, Founder of the Modern Hospice Movement
There comes a time near the end of life when a person needs a special kind of care… a time when traditional treatments no longer offer the hope of a cure… a time when thoughts turn to dying with dignity and peace. VNA Hospice is that special kind of care for adults of all ages in the final phase of a terminal illness. Join the VNA Hospice multidisciplinary team and give a couple hours a week to support patient families.
Direct patient care volunteers provide friendly visits, care giver relief, and assistance with errands.
Administrative volunteers assist with clerical duties, raising funds to pay for hospice care, and other program support activities.
Bereavement volunteers provide support after the death of their loved one through phone calls, home visits, hosting luncheons and facilitating support groups.
Caring Companions are specially trained volunteers who are willing to stay with the patient and family when death is imminent, remain with the family when death has occurred, and assist the VNA nurse as he or she makes the death pronouncement.
Visiting Nurse Association training gives volunteers a clear understanding of hospice philosophy and teaches them to become effective caregivers for patients and their families. Our 18-hour class covers such topics as: the interdisciplinary team, spiritual and cultural diversity, family dynamics, and bereavement. For additional information and to pre-register for the training, contact Julie Feltner, VNA Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, at feltnerj@vnatexas.org or 214-689-2672.
VNA encourages family members to wait a minimum of one year following the death of a loved one before volunteering as a Hospice patient care volunteer or Bereavement support volunteer.
