Volunteering with Ardent
At Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care, our volunteers are our partners in bringing joy and peace to our patients’ lives. Whether they’re aiding our staff in the office or visiting with patients and families, they are making a life-changing impact.
Volunteers do not need to have any experience or credentials to work in hospice care. We provide them with extensive training so they’re fully equipped before heading out into the volunteer role they’re best matched for. Volunteering with Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care gives you the chance to do something bigger than yourself. There’s a place for everyone at Ardent.
Volunteer Opportunities
Patient & Family Services
These volunteers are in the homes spending time with our patients and their families. Because many of our patients are older, and sometimes lonely, our volunteers are really just required to be a companion—keeping them company, having a conversation, maybe even working on a simple project. Our patient volunteers should be good listeners, and have the ability to deal with death and dying.
Our volunteer coordinator puts a lot of care and thought into pairing volunteers and patients. We take the volunteer’s personality and comfort level into account when choosing the patient for them to work with, because it’s truly important for them to have a genuine connection.
Community Services
Our community service volunteers represent Ardent out in the community. They’re required to have a strong understanding of Ardent’s hospice and care philosophy. Community volunteers accompany our team at marketing and community events, and speaking engagements as required.
Office Services
Office service volunteers provide clerical support to the Ardent hospice program. This may include answering phones and emails, preparing handouts and admissions packets, and writing newsletters and thank you notes. These volunteers should be organized and able to work under minimal supervision.
Bereavement Services
The main responsibility of a bereavement service volunteer is to provide support to families during the bereavement process. They offer companionship and assistance to families, and should have the ability to deal with death and dying.
To apply to volunteer with The Heart of Ardent please click here.
FAQs:
Q: What does it take to be an Ardent volunteer?
A: Really, all we require is that our volunteers have a great attitude and are willing to participate. Our volunteers don’t need to have any certifications or degrees, but they do have to be 16 years of age or older, with some exceptions.
Q: Do I have to be there when the patient passes?
A: No, our volunteers are never required to be with a patient when they pass.
Q: What do I do if I am there when the patient passes?
A: If you happen to be with the patient when they do pass, you must immediately call the Ardent office. You can stay with the family and offer support until our hospice staff gets there. However, if you’re uncomfortable or the family wants to be alone, you may leave.
Q: How many hours are required of me?
A: We do not require a set amount of hours from our volunteers; they can volunteer as many hours as they want per week. Our volunteers are amazing people with busy lives, so we make it a point to work with the schedule and availability they are able to give.
Q: If I’m working directly with the patients, how many hours do I need to stay for each visit?
A: We like to keep it consistent with our volunteers. We ask that our volunteers dedicate at least a half hour per week (if possible) to visit with the patients.
Q: I’ve never been around anyone who’s died before, can I still volunteer with hospice care?
A: Absolutely! The majority of our volunteers haven’t dealt with dying before. We go over the proper behavior and protocol, so that you have the knowledge and confidence in those situations.
Q: What kind of training will I receive?
A: Our volunteers go through extensive training before they begin working with patients or in another role. The training program is completed as a group and covers everything you need to know, including what hospice actually is, the history of hospice, how it started, inspection and safety control, death and dying, what to do and say, what not to do and say, and even how hospice works on the billing and insurance side of things. On top of that, our volunteer coordinator is always available to answer any questions you encounter while on the job.
Q: What illnesses will I be coming in contact with? Can I get sick?
A: Our patients have terminal illnesses, so you do not need to worry about coming into contact with anything contagious. We equip our volunteers with hand sanitizer and training, so they can stay germ-free and healthy.
Q: Do volunteers find the work depressing?
A: We’ve never had a volunteer call their work depressing. At the most, it can be a bit heavy. Our volunteers typically develop a deep, meaningful relationship with the patients they work with, so it’s expected that they feel a period of sadness when that patient passes. However, we’ve found that the joy of knowing the volunteers had a positive impact on that patient’s final days outweighs any grief they feel.
