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You Can Make a Difference: Volunteer for Hospice

Share your compassion and talents with patients and their families in your community

At the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR), volunteers play a critical role in enhancing the end-of-life experiences of people facing serious illness and their families. Volunteers represent all life experiences and are drawn to hospice for a variety of reasons, but the defining characteristics that unite them are compassion and the desire to help others. Their many skills are matched to important tasks within our mission.

Does this sound like you?

Logo of VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region

VNAHSR provides training for those interested in becoming hospice volunteers. Training will be held on Friday, March 25th from 8am – 4pm in Bennington.  Training is free and open to individuals 16 years of age and older. Volunteers need to pass a background check. No previous hospice and health care experience is required. Pre-registration, proof of COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing during training are required.

Once training is complete, assignments and schedules are tailored to the volunteer’s geographic and time commitment preferences.

Training Topics include:

  • Understanding the Hospice philosophy of care
  • Knowing boundaries when interacting with patients and families
  • Communicating with patients and families
  • Understanding basic health and safety precautions
  • Understanding patient confidentiality

The Benefit of Becoming a Hospice Volunteer

While our volunteers make a tremendous impact on the lives of our patients, families and staff, we hear time and again that they, too, benefit from their hospice experiences. Among the things they mention are:

  • Increased appreciation for living life in the moment and defining what is really important
  • Greater knowledge and more inner peace about the end-of-life experience
  • Greater insight about diversity and the different perspectives among cultures
  • Heightened sense of fulfillment and pride because of their contributions to patients and families and to the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region.

For more information or to register call Mary at 802.442.0540 or email at mary.pleasant@vnahsr.org.

About the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region

VNAHSR is a non-profit, Medicare-certified home health and hospice agency delivering a wide range of advanced medical care with compassion, dependability, and expertise to people of all ages throughout Bennington and Rutland Counties.

With office locations in Bennington, Dorset, Manchester, and Rutland, we have over 250 trusted health professionals and caregivers committed to providing exceptional care to patients and families.

Proud of our national reputation for quality care, VNAHSR is highly rated for Quality of Patient Care and Patient Satisfaction from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and is recognized as one of the nation’s top performing home health agencies by HomeCare Elite, a market-leading review that identifies top Medicare-certified agencies.