Give the Gift of Your Time
Unique to the service of hospice, volunteers play a special role in the care of our patients and families. Carefully selected and specially trained volunteers work alongside hospice staff to provide support for our patients and their families. Hospice volunteers provide companionship, short periods of caregiver respite, light household or outdoor assistance and diverse activities. Qualified volunteers may also provide pet therapy, No One Dies Alone (NODA) services, and Veteran-to-Veteran volunteering. If you are a pet lover, you can volunteer in our Pets Peace of Mind Program, helping care for pets of patients on your service.
In addition to supportive care with families, volunteers are also involved in bereavement support, provide office assistance and help with special events and activities. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Hospice of Southwest Iowa in Council Bluffs at 712-352-1389, in Corning at 641-766-9999 or complete form below and someone will respond as soon as possible.
In addition to supportive care with families, volunteers are also involved in bereavement support, provide office assistance and help with special events and activities. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Hospice of Southwest Iowa in Council Bluffs at 712-352-1389, in Corning at 641-766-9999 or complete form below and someone will respond as soon as possible.
"I have volunteered many times, many hours, but nothing has been more rewarding than being involved as a NODA (No One Dies Alone) volunteer, sitting beside the bedside of a patient in their final hours. Being able to provide comfort to the patient and the family at such a time is very fulfilling."
~Roberta, HSI Volunteer
"Being a NODA volunteer is truly an honor. You think of this time as being a family time and when you are welcomed into this circle, it is truly an honor. I can remember when my husband and I lost our first parent; we didn't know what to do, what to say, how to act, and basically we were just lost in our emotions. A very kind person (non-family member) was there to lead us through the process when we lost our second parent and it was a truly blessed event. She explained what to expect, what to look for, reassured us that she wasn't in pain and pretty much guided us through a very emotional time in our lives. Family members are all caught up in the emotions of losing someone they love, but if you have another person there that is not a family member to help guide them, to comfort them, to reassure them; that makes all the difference. Sometimes a family member just needs to talk to someone about how he/she is feeling and most of the time it is easier to talk to a non-family member. When I'm with the family I like to have them tell stories of the patient remembering the good times and to start the healing process of losing a loved one. You gain the insight of the love they share and then we all come out ahead. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of this program."
~Kay, HSI Volunteer
**Photo taken by Kristin Schmits (schmitshotshots@yahoo.com)