Let's Celebrate Volunteers: National Volunteer Week April 21-27, 2013

Celebrating Volunteers:

National Volunteer Week
BVNA & VNAP

April 21-27, 2013

At our place, we are celebrating our volunteers in the next week.  Particularly in hospice where I focus, we adore our volunteers and do all that we can to make them feel appreciated.  Our agency is a non-profit and volunteers are an official requirement of our continued accreditation and funding.  Employees hours must be matched by a certain proportion of volunteers hours for us to remain in compliance with Medicare and other regulators. 

For our official celebration,  there will be a luncheon one day with a special speaker and another day tasty Philadelphia pretzels will be served. Many of the volunteers come into the office to help with clerical and computer work.  Others make phone calls or make visits to the patients and families in their homes or in patients in care settings.

The BVNA hospice team signed a huge Thank You card with special messages. 

Why do people volunteer to work in hospice or in our agency in general?
Some of our volunteers have had their relatives under our hospice care.   Others have worked in healthcare and now are retired and continue to enjoy working with the patients and the families.  Others come to us through friends or neighbors.  We do recruit and screen and offer a training program so that the volunteers are comfortable in their work and our clients can trust that volunteers abide by all laws and regulations. 

  We have several groups in town who make beautiful handmade blankets and shawls which we share with our families.  We have one volunteer who makes hospital-like gowns (opening in the back) in colorful and lively looking fabric.  Some volunteers do pet therapy with dogs and cats.  Some do hair or offer reiki or massage.  Some hospices do music therapy.  We can use all kinds of talents.  Many of the volunteers come into the office to help with clerical and computer work.  Others make phone calls or make visits to the patients and families in their homes or to patients in care settings.

So we are delighted to express our thanks to our faithful and talented volunteers this week and all the others too. 

Compassion Comes Home: A New Blog

Compasssion Comes Home:

A blog by Marti Smith, Bereavement Services, 

Berks Visiting Nurses and

Visiting Nurses of Pottstown and Vicinity

Divisions of Home Health Care Management

Wyomissing, PA, 19610

February, 2013

Contact:  martha.smith@hhcminc.org 

610-527-5700 ext. 3962 or Cell 484-663-0393

Welcome to my new blog.  While this blog is written for the patients, families, and staff members served by the Visiting Nurses and other companies related to Home Health Care Management in my work as a spiritual counselor and bereavement coordinator for the Visiting Nurses, the views expressed here are my own and do not represent any official views of our agency.  I look forward to your comments and suggestions.  I plan to include my own thoughts about care giving, aging, illness, dying, and death and probably some completely serious and unserious ideas about cats, dogs, children, food, yoga, and more.  My hope is that many of us will find here a kind of community feeling to enrich our days. 

    

 

Healing the Grief of Aging: Alan Wolfelt and Others Share Insights

 

 

 

Would it be a surprise to you if you knew you were going to age and die someday?  Alan Wolfelt and others say that you may be in mourning. 

 

 

 

For most people, aging and death are as taboo as sex used to be.  Don't talk about it, particularly not in polite company.

 

 

For me at age 68, working in hospice care, three years from a stroke, aging and dying are still awkward topics.  How could this be?  Answer:

 

Probably because thoughts of aging and dying make me sad and scared.  I certaningly don't want other people to think of me as aging or about to die.  Who would ask me to lunch?