Hospice Volunteering
Hospice offers volunteers to patients and families, providing one-on-one support, respite for the caregiver, giving comfort and companionship to the hospice patients. There are also volunteer opportunities with the children’s grief group, bereavement support groups, in the hospice office and with special events.
For more information, please call the Providence Hospice Volunteer Program at 541-387-6449 or the Portland Metro Volunteer Program at 503-215-4857.
If you enjoy the following activities, you may get a lot of satisfaction from being a hospice volunteer:
- Listening
- Sharing a story
- Sharing a laugh
- Sitting quietly at a bedside
- Helping with household tasks
- Providing office support
- Spending time with wonderful people
Providence Hospice volunteers are compassionate individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of people who are approaching the end of life. Important qualities for hospice volunteers include:
- Emotional stability
- Dependability
- Patience
- Good listening skills
- Adequate resolution of past losses
- We recommend that you wait at least one year following the death of a loved one before volunteering with hospice.
We ask that volunteers make these commitments:
- To contribute one to four hours a week, depending on the area of service
- To commit to a minimum of one year of volunteer service, if possible
In the Portland and Columbia Gorge areas, Providence Hospice offers a free 20-hour course. For information about what you’ll learn and when training sessions are offered, please see next training.
In the southern Oregon area, to become a hospice volunteer you must first attend the volunteer training of approximately 28 hours. Contact our southern Oregon volunteer coordinator at 541-732-6532 to learn more.
Find an opportunity that best suits you, from providing respite care to a patient's loved ones to pet services to massage therapy.
For information about the any of these programs, please contact the Portland metro volunteer program at 503-215-4857.
People that are interested in volunteering with their animal in our Animal Assisted Activities program are required to be certified by the Pet Partners program. Volunteers with their pets are assigned by the volunteer coordinator to provide comfort and support to hospice patients. Volunteers must complete hospice training and orientation and must undergo a screening process, including a criminal record check.
Bereavement volunteers act as part of the Providence Bereavement Services staff by contacting survivors of hospice patients after the death. They provide a listening ear, emotional support and report possible complicated grief reactions to the bereavement staff. Bereavement volunteers might also assist with community-related hospice events.
Providence Hospice massage therapy volunteers are assigned by the volunteer coordinator and provide physical and emotional support to terminally ill hospice patients through ongoing massage visits. Massage volunteers must be licensed massage therapists or physical therapists in the state of Oregon. Volunteers must complete a 20-hour training and orientation program, and must undergo a screening process, including a criminal record check.
Volunteers who serve in this area are part of the Pet Peace of Mind program. They are assigned to visit patients who have pet care needs. A volunteer servicing in this area understands the dynamics of pet ownership, including basic pet responsibility and health care. Volunteers may take the pet for a walk and/or assist with feeding and cleaning.
Hospice Program support volunteers act on the direction of the volunteer coordinator or other hospice staff member to provide assistance with office functions and special projects that support patient and program needs.
Respite volunteers are the most needed volunteers in our program. Providence Hospice respite volunteers provide comfort and companionship to terminally ill patients so that exhausted family caregivers can take a break. In one-on-one time with a patient in their home setting, you might read a book aloud, reminisce about the past, help make lunch, assist to the bathroom, laugh and cry together, or simply sit quietly and provide supportive presence.
Each patient is unique; each volunteer assignment is different; but every patient and every assignment will touch your heart and bring something special into your life.
Volunteers must complete a 20-hour training and orientation program and must undergo a screening process, including a criminal record check. Respite volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
Providence Hospice vigil volunteers are assigned by the hospice staff to bring comfort, support and companionship to patients and their family members or facility staff during the time immediately before the patient’s death. The vigil volunteer must be willing to be called for assignment on short notice.
Volunteers must complete a 20-hour training and orientation program and must undergo a screening process, including a criminal record check. Vigil volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
Providence Hospice visitation volunteers provide comfort and companionship to terminally ill patients residing in nursing facilities or adult care homes. Visitation volunteers might provide similar one-on-one support as a respite volunteer, but in a setting that is not a private home. Volunteers must complete a 20-hour training and orientation program and must undergo a screening process, including a criminal record check. Visitation volunteers must be at least 18 years old.