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The Picture of a Hospice Volunteer

The Picture of a Hospice Volunteer

Abbey Augus is graduating in 2009 from the University of California at Davis (UCD). She is studying community development—with a concentration in community groups and social services. So perhaps it is not surprising that she is also a Yolo Hospice volunteer.

“[Hospice was] not something I would have thought I’d want to do at first, but my grandmother died,” said Abbey. “I think she was very scared at first. I want to try to alleviate that for both myself and others.”

Supporting those with life-limiting illness is what hospice does. Hospice alleviates many fears, with that support. By providing patients and families with training, someone to call, and health care, patients know there is someone there to help and stand by them. Hospice is more than healthcare. It provides social workers and spiritual counselors – as patients need them – to offer support on an emotional and spiritual level. And, significantly, we offer them a volunteer.

Volunteers are the heart of Yolo Hospice. The organization was founded by volunteers. Volunteers are carrying on the work, right beside the staff of Yolo Hospice. They provide the support of a friend, another hand to help and someone to talk to who isn’t healthcare personnel or family.

Volunteers don’t go out there unprepared. They receive extensive training, have monthly volunteer meetings to continue the training and discuss their concerns, and always have the Yolo Hospice team to lean on. Team nurse, social worker, hospice aide and spiritual counselor, they are all available to the volunteer.

“That training, independent of anything else, was informative to my thinking about life and death,” said Abbey. “I’ve recommended Yolo Hospice to other Bonner Leaders because I got so much out of the training and the volunteering I’ve done for Yolo Hospice.”

At 22, Abbey isn’t what one might expect the typical hospice volunteer to look like. Abbey is not typical, but neither is she the only “young” volunteer working with Yolo Hospice. High schools and colleges now require “community service” hours from their students. Area nonprofits are the lucky recipients of those hours.

“This service requirement on the part of our schools is such a great opportunity for everyone involved,” said Nancy Bodily, Yolo Hospice Volunteer Services Manager. “It provides students with hands-on learning opportunities, creates relationships between potential employees and their workplaces, and creates an overall sense of community. Plus these vibrant students bring such a nice quality of spirit to the patients and families they meet.”

In Abbey’s case, she gives to her community most generously. She is a Bonner Leader. Bonner Leaders Program at UCD provides leadership training and encourages volunteerism. With that group, she signed a contract which committed her to 900 hours of volunteer work to be completed within two years. Abbey received an extension on the completion of her hours so she could go:

• To India to participate in tsunami relief
• For six months to teach English in China, India, and Thailand
• To Bangladesh and Guatemala to complete an internship and a fellowship in microfinance.

But she is back on track now with 50-60 hours left in the contract. In addition to her volunteer work at Yolo Hospice, she tutored ESL students and worked with Families First in Davis.

“I get a lot out of volunteering for Yolo Hospice,” said Abbey. “I learn a lot about people and get perspective on how others are living their lives.”
 
So no matter your age, perhaps you and Yolo Hospice can be of benefit to one another. Training for patient care volunteers are held seven times a year, but at different locations in Sacramento and Davis. To register, go to the Yolo Hospice website to download the registration form (http://www.yolohospice.org/volunteer.php). For more information or to discuss other types of volunteer opportunities, please call Nancy Bodily Volunteer Services Manager at (530) 758-5566 or nbodily@yolohospice.org.

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