General Time Commitment
We ask volunteers to commit for one year. Volunteers will attend either specific training for their assignments or attend the orientation for new staff and volunteers. We consider it vital for our volunteers to understand our services as volunteers are our ambassadors in the community. Criminal background and reference checks are required for all volunteers.
For more information about any of these volunteer positions, please call (425) 261-4808.
Available Positions:
Patient/Family Hospice Care
Vigil Volunteer
Bereavement Volunteer
Home Care Volunteer
Clinic Based Palliative Care
Office Assistant
Librarian
Carousel Volunteers
Camp Erin
Lifeline Volunteers
Comfort Therapy
Pet Visitor
Development
Barber or Beautician
Sewing & Knitting
Cooking, Chore or Yard Service
Life Review
Other
Patient/Family Hospice Care
A Hospice patient has a life-threatening illness. Volunteers stay with a patient so the caregiver can do errands or take a break. They may provide light housework, cook, do errands or transport patients.
- Requirement: Be able to be the presence of someone dying. Be a good listener. Non-judgmental. Flexible. Have good social support. No recent loss. Core training provided. Continuing education is required.
- Time commitment: Be available 4 hours once a week. You choose the days you are available and where you are willing to drive. If too limited, however, you will have less assignments.
- Optional: a 2nd assignment.
Vigil Volunteer
Stay with patient who is actively dying because patient has no one or family is uncomfortable being alone.
- Requirement: Be willing to be called at the last minute. Must have experience being a Hospice volunteer and have taken the core training.
- Time commitment: Be available 4 – 6 hours assignments perhaps 6 times a year.
Bereavement Volunteer
Call and visit bereaved persons. May assist in the bereavement office with clerical tasks. May assist with memorial services, support groups, and other events.
- Requirement: Be able to be in the presence of grieving persons. Have good social support. No recent loss. Hospice volunteer training is required and additional classes by the Bereavement Coordinator.
- Time commitment: Be available four hours once a week.
Home Care Volunteer
Patients are recovering from surgery, accident or learning how to live with a long-term illness. Volunteers will provide light housework, cook, do errands, provide transportation to appointments, stay with a patient (respite) while the caregiver gets out.
- Requirement: Volunteers will attend core classes.
- Time Commitment: Be available 2 – 4 hours once a week. You choose the days and where you are willing to drive. If too limited, however, you will have less assignments.
- Optional: 1 – 2 families a week
Clinic Based Palliative Care:
The Palliative Care Program will be for patients who need assistance but do not qualify for other programs. You will check on them by calling or visiting once a month and triage with the nurse or volunteer coordinator who will send more help if needed. Volunteers will possibly help the patient/family in other ways as needed. An option is following them into a Hospice or Home Care program should they need it. Patients are identified by their physicians if their prognosis could be a year or less.
Volunteers will receive an initial orientation. Volunteers will be assigned four patients. Time commitment will be about 5-8 hours a month.
Office Assistant
Provide Clerical support in our office depending on skills. You will generally work in one area. We use office volunteers on a regular basis or when we have a special project. Occasionally you can work at home depending on tasks needed.
- Time commitment: Be available a minimum of 3 hours once a week.
Librarian
Keep the library in order, call if books are out too long. Prepare books for library.
- Requirement: Learn system. Love of books a plus.
- Time commitment: Be available 1- 2 hours every two weeks.
Carousel Volunteers
Assist families with an ill child or teen. This may include rocking babies, staying with the child while the parent goes out, errands, housework, cooking, transportation, general emotional support.
- Requirement: The core Hospice classes, plus specialized training given at our office on children and teens.
- Time Commitment: Be available four hours a week. We prefer that you be willing to drive anywhere in Snohomish County or Camano Island.
CAMP ERIN
Assist as a camp buddy at our weekend camp for grieving kids and teens.
- Requirement: Specialized training at our agency.
- Time Commitment: Attendance at classes and the weekend camp.
Lifeline Volunteers
Install Lifeline units in people’s homes which is an emergency response unit. Teach families how to use it. Drive to homes.
- Requirement: Attend classes and continuing education.
- Time commitment: Be available 2 – 4 hours a week. You can choose where you are willing to drive. Mileage is provided.
Comfort Therapy
Provide comfort therapies such as massage, music, art, pet, hypnotherapy to our hospice or home care patients.
- Requirement: License or certification and our core classes.
- Time Commitment: 2 – 4 hours once a week.
Pet Visitor
Visit patients who love animals with your dog once a week.
- Requirement: Dog owners must attend the regular volunteer training of 35-40 hours plus put the dog through Therapy Dogs Training.
- Time Commitment: You decide how many patients you and your pet are willing to visit. A guideline is 2 patients a week for 1/2-to 1 hour per patient.
Development
Assist by planning and working at fundraising or other special events, and grantwriting. Assist with decorating auction baskets. You choose.
- Requirement: Have fun.
- Time Commitment: Varies.
Barber or Beautician
Do hair care for patients in their homes.
- Requirement: Licensed. Attend orientation for new staff and volunteers.
- Time Commitment: Be available once every two weeks for appropriate time.
Sewing and Knitting
Examples are hospital gowns, special butterfly pillows, lap robes, prayer shawls, or decorate teddy bears with your knitting creations for our children's camp. You choose.
- Requirement: Use your material or what has been donated to our agency for these projects. No certain amount of items required. Work in your home.
- Time Commitment: Varies depending on what you are willing to do.
Cooking, Chore and/or Yard Service
Assist with meal preparation, light housework or yard work for patients.
- Requirement: Attend orientation for new staff and volunteers. Background check.
- Time commitment: 2 hours per patient each week. You decide how many patients you are willing to assist.
Life Review
Assist patients with life reviews.
- Requirement: Learn how to write or record life histories. Be a good listener and be non- judgmental. Attend hospice volunteer classes.
- Time Commitment: 4 – 6 hours per patient. A guideline is for you to do six life reviews a year.
We are also interested in:
Other
You may have a skill or talent that we can use. Tell us about it!
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