Compass Regional Hospice Readies for May Patient Volunteer Training

Photo: Eight volunteers recently completed patient care training in Caroline County this past fall. Those who are pictured include Virginia Martin, John Obrien, Nancy Kline, Joanna Zigrossi, Gilbrina Payne, Raymond Bennett and Jody Herb. Not pictured is Shelia Faulkner. — Eight volunteers recently completed patient care training in Caroline County this past fall. Those who are pictured include Virginia Martin, John Obrien, Nancy Kline, Joanna Zigrossi, Gilbrina Payne, Raymond Bennett and Jody Herb. Not pictured is Shelia Faulkner. – Contributed Photo

CENTREVILLE — Compass Regional Hospice will host a three-day patient care volunteer training May 7 to 9 at Compass Regional Hospice’s Grief Support Services wing of the Hospice Center in Centreville, 255 Comet Drive.

The training will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is a requirement to become a patient care volunteer with Compass Regional Hospice.

Completion of this training qualifies these volunteers to provide emotional support and practical assistance to hospice patients, families and caregivers in their homes, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and in the residential hospice centers in Centreville and Chestertown.

Topics include an overview of hospice; the process of dying; spiritual care and its place in hospice care; the stages of grief; effective communications techniques; family dynamics; stress management; and self-care for caregivers.

Those who wish to provide direct patient care will be required to complete several additional hours with patients under the supervision of a Compass Regional Hospice clinical staff member. Volunteers who wish to be involved in providing grief support for hospice family members will work closely with staff from the Grief Support Services team. Grief support roles include bereavement volunteers, vigil volunteers, and grief support facilitators.

Robyn Affron, volunteer coordinator with Compass Regional Hospice, said being a patient care volunteer is similar to being a good neighbor, and volunteering is an opportunity to develop special relationships with patients, their families, and caregivers.

She said volunteering through Compass Regional Hospice is about providing companionship, and in many cases, volunteers are helping caregivers to have some respite or are visiting a patient who may not have many visitors and who might like some company — whether that is taking a walk, listening to music or reading a book together.

Compass Regional Hospice has myriad ways with which anyone who is interested may volunteer, including administrative assistance; greeting at hospice center locations in Queen Anne’s and Kent counties; assisting with events and outreach; being educational ambassadors for Compass Regional Hospice; and assisting with staffing needs at Estate Treasures, an upscale resale shop in Chester that is run entirely by volunteers.

Compass Regional Hospice relies on more than 300 volunteers of all ages to support its mission of “Care on your terms.” Whatever your motivation to volunteer, there is a place for you at Compass Regional Hospice.

For more information about becoming a volunteer for Compass Regional Hospice, contact Affron at 443-262-4112 or raffron@compassregionalhospice.org, or visit www.compassregionalhospice.org/volunteers to download the patient care volunteer training registration form.

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~ Compass Regional Hospice – Care on your terms

Compass Regional Hospice is a fully licensed, independent, community-based nonprofit organization certified by Medicare and the state of Maryland and accredited by the Joint Commission. Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages through the challenge of living with a serious illness and learning to live following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care, palliative care, and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties. “Care on your terms” is the promise that guides staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville and Chestertown. Grief support services are offered to children, adults, and families of patients who died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, visit compassregionalhospice.org.