Volunteer Christine Roberts
Masonic Village Hospice is designed to give comforting care to individuals in the final phase of a terminal illness. A wonderful team of dedicated hospice volunteers is available to provide support and caregiver respite. They assist patients and their families by offering friendly visits and companionship and by completing special tasks through the direction of the volunteer coordinator.
Volunteers share their musical talents, bring pets for therapy, take patients outside for some fresh air, read to patients, run errands and other efforts.
Masonic Village Hospice currently utilizes 111 volunteers, ranging in age from college students to a 96-year-old gentleman. A volunteer orientation is held three times a year, where potential volunteers can learn more about hospice and the services they would provide.
“A lot of the volunteering is based on the patient,” said Angela B. Ortiz, hospice volunteer coordinator. “If a family member is a caregiver and needs two hours to run errands, the volunteer will sit with the patient. Or, they’ll sit with the patient if they have no family present, so they are not alone. We have some volunteers trained in Healing Touch™, an energy-based treatment.
We also have volunteers who visit with their pets and veteran volunteers paired with patients who are veterans.”
The volunteer may perform a special ceremony for veterans, including a reading, a pinning and a presentation of a certificate and a handmade fleece blanket.
Once volunteers are trained, they are paired with a staff member or a fellow volunteer for their first visit. After that, the schedule is flexible between the volunteer and patient, in terms of how often they want to visit, where, when and for how long.
The experience has a profound impact on the volunteers’ lives, as well as the patients.
Volunteer Sara Petrosky
“God has been more than good to me during my life, and after having experienced what hospice care did for a close friend of mine and her own family, I felt it was time to volunteer,” said volunteer Joe Kranyak (shown above). “I wanted to give back, to make a difference, no matter how small. Since I have been associated with the Veterans Pinning Ceremonies, it has been very rewarding for me to see the joy and happiness that a small ceremony has brought the families of veterans.”
“Hospice staff made such a difference in my life and in the lives of my parents as they were in hospice care,” said Sara Petrosky, a volunteer who visits patients with her dog. “Volunteering here is the best way I can make a similar difference. When I learned I could bring my dog to hospice patients, I realized this ‘job’ would benefit the patient, my dog and me. What a win for all of us!”
“I enjoy being part of a team that provides peace, companionship and comfort to individuals and their families at the end of their lives,” volunteer Christine Roberts said. “It creates a feeling of purpose and fulfillment for me. I have had so many rewarding and meaningful experiences during my first year of volunteering and look forward to many more.”
Clinton Spiegel, a Masonic Village resident and volunteer, said, “I feel that I am making a difference, small as it may be, in the life of another.”
To join our team of volunteers, visit Volunteer – Masonic Village Hospice.
