VOLUNTEERS: A Closer Look

If we have learned anything about end-of-life over the past 23 years of offering hospice services to the people of Kittitas County, it would be that it takes a community to care for a loved one at end-of-life. Not many families realize the physical and emotional toll that comes with caring for someone at end-of-life. Barb McGrew, who lost her mother LaVerne Noyes in 2005, writes, “ We are six months from her passing, and we are beginning to finally heal. Physically the toll was more than I ever could imagine. We were running on pure adrenaline alone for three months, and never felt the exhaustion. Thank God for LaRenne, Polly and the staff for holding us in their caring arms and for the excellent advice before and after Mom’s death.” Hospice applies a team approach to caring for your loved one. The team includes family members, friends, nurses, social workers, physicians, bathing aids, physical therapists, respiratory technicians, and last, but not least, volunteers.

Volunteers play a unique role in the hospice team and provide support, not only for the individual at end-of-life, but also for the family. Volunteers provide a wide variety of services: respite for a family member, companionship, music therapy, basic chores, massage, reiki, and transportation. Some families are very independent and feel that they need to handle everything themselves. While we always respect and value their wishes, we know from experience that many of them end up compromising both their personal health and the quality of care they can provide for a loved one by not reaching out and asking for help from a volunteer and/or friends. Hospice Friends volunteer, Steve Varga, likens it to the 100-mile endurance races he runs. Although he runs the races alone, he would never make it without the support of at least two or three others whose sole purpose is to care for his every need. Families need to view the support a volunteer can give in much the same manner.

Although the race may be yours to run, you cannot do it without the support of a team that will care for you every step of the way.

If you, or someone you know, has a terminal illness and is trying to run the race alone, we encourage reaching out and asking for the support you need. Or if you are interested in volunteering to help others run the race, then we encourage you to contact us so that we can let you know how you can help. Volunteering with hospice can be a life changing experience. In the words of Enid Gage, co-founder of Hospice Friends, “You will always receive more than you give…I know that I have laughed with more dying people than I have with healthy people”.