Parkview Home Health and Hospice

Parkview Hospice Volunteers serve patients in Columbia City, Fort Wayne, Huntington, Kendallville, LaGrange and surrounding communities. Volunteers can choose to visit patients near their home or in other communities. There are many ways to support Parkview Hospice.

• Visiting and Bereavement Volunteers provide temporary relief for the caregiver and support to grieving families and caregivers. Tasks may include running errands, talking, reading, listening and providing emotional support to the hospice patient and family.
• Errands and Office Volunteers perform a wide variety of office and support functions. Examples are: answering phones, typing, assembling mailings, filing, assisting with fundraising and public relations projects. Spice of Life Volunteers – may do yard work, wash cars, do light house cleaning, put up holiday decorations or they may have a license or certificate to provide special care to patients such as a barber or massage therapist
• Hospice Helpers support Parkview Hospice by assisting with tasks that do not involve any patient contact but benefit patients or support office staff. They may assemble a mailing for fundraising or recruit volunteers to build birdhouses, make sun catchers or sew bears, gowns or lap throws for patients.
• Donations to the Parkview Hospital Foundation help to provide care to those without financial resources to pay for Hospice care. Donations also support the Volunteer and Bereavement Services that are mandated by regulations but we are not reimbursed for providing. Clean old sweat shirts and pants, towels and sheets are needed to sew various projects.

Your minutes matter

All volunteers are required to complete training and orientation either 20 hours for fully trained Hospice Volunteers, 4 hours for Spice of Life Hospice Volunteers or self-study for those who have medical backgrounds or other hospice experience. Volunteers must attend mandatory safety and continuing education each year. You are asked to make a one-year commitment to the volunteer program and volunteer one to four hours per week.

There are several steps that you must complete to become a Hospice volunteer. State law requires all home health and hospice staff to have a criminal history check done. After you begin training you will be called to schedule an appointment to complete medical testing that is done at Parkview’s expense.

Training

Training/orientation classes are held throughout the year at locations around northeast Indiana. Staff is available to present programs about hospice and volunteering to interested community, church or other groups. Call (260) 373-9800 or 800-363-9977 to request more information.