Volunteer
Volunteers submit your time sheets. (Link will open in a new window.)
Touching Lives
Volunteers are partners in all aspects of Hospice Austin’s services. In addition to more than 200 employees, we have over 400 volunteers who help care for terminally ill patients and their families in our community. Volunteers are critical members in the team of caregivers for patients and families.
There are many ways to become involved at Hospice Austin. By volunteering you will touch and enrich many lives, including your own.
|
Who are Hospice Austin Volunteers?
People 18 years and older who represent every part of our service area give time and talents to support and broaden the work of our organization.
-
Friends or relatives of former hospice patients.
-
People who have heard about Hospice Austin and believe in our work.
-
People from both rural and urban areas.
-
People from all cultures and backgrounds.
Why do people volunteer?
|
 |
-
They find pleasure in helping others.
-
They get a sense of emotional and spiritual well-being by offering time and effort where they are needed.
-
They add insight and meaning to their own lives by choosing to be present as people deal with the profound issues of life.
-
They gain satisfaction by making a positive impact on the lives of others.
What jobs do Hospice Austin Volunteers do?
Patient/Family Support
-
Support and reassure patient and family.
-
Assist the patient and the family with projects.
-
Visit with the patient, or with family members.
-
Be an attentive and sympathetic listener.
-
Sit with the patient. Give family time to get away for brief periods.
-
Give the family time to rest and relax.
-
Run errands, provide transportation to appointments, read or play music to patient.
Special skills and services for patients
Office Workers
-
Help with administrative and clerical capacities.
-
Various duties may include data entry, record keeping, filing and telephone duties.
|
Fund Raising, Marketing and Special Events
-
Serve on committees.
-
Promote Hospice Austin at community events.
-
Assist with correspondence.
-
Participate in fund raising and special events.
-
Perform administrative duties and other related activities.
|
 |
Community Awareness
-
Serve as links to the community.
-
Act as ambassadors to represent Hospice Austin by their good work.
-
Tell the Hospice Austin story.
-
Raise awareness of Hospice Austin care as an important community resource.
-
Represent Hospice Austin at corporate and community health fairs.
On Our Own Terms
Hospice Austin Volunteer Training
All Hospice Austin volunteers are encouraged to attend volunteer training. These classes are mandatory for volunteers who work directly with patients and families. Other volunteers who would like to help in the office or at special events may choose to receive on-the-job orientation and training.
Training sessions are held in Austin twice a year, in February and September. Each course lasts two weeks, meeting six different times. 2010 dates are February 16-27 and September 14-25, from 6-9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9am-3pm on Saturday at Hospice Austin's Spicewood Springs Road office. Special training sessions are held in other communities in the Hospice Austin service area from time to time. If you are interested in volunteering, please print out and complete the application, including the two reference letters. When you have completed them, please call our volunteer coordinator at 342-4735 to request an interview.
Hospice Austin volunteers are asked to commit to at least one year of service, unless there are unusual circumstances. Usually, volunteers give about four hours a week with that time being flexible to allow for different schedules.
For information on volunteering, please call (512) 342-4700 or 1-800-445-3261 or send an email to the volunteer department.
|
|
|
