Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hospice Volunteers For Veterans - We Honor Veterans

For many, Memorial Day is an extra day off from work, picnics with family and friends, outdoor activities and hunting for the best sales. Memorial Day is much more than eating too much, having fun and seeing how much money you can save.


America's Veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and it is never too late to give them a hero's welcome home. It may surprise you that 25 percent of all deaths in the US are Veterans. That's 1,800 people a day; more than 680,000 Veterans every year! These heroic Americans deserve recognition for their military service, particularly at the end of life's journey.


Medi Home & Hospice is a partner of the We Honor Veterans program that was developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The goal is to help improve the care Veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers.

The focus of the We Honor Veterans program is on:
  • Respectiful inquiry
  • Compassionate listening
  • Grateful acknowledgement







What is the importance of the We Honor Veterans Program?
  • Volunteers are essential to the delivery of quality hospice care.
  • Veterans are a part of a distinct culture with their own common language and experiences.
  • When Veterans interact, their common language and experience can form a strong relational bond.
  • The camaraderie created between Veterans has proven to be supportive for all involved.
Volunteers are crucial to hospice patients and their families. They provide support that helps enhance the patient's quality of life and reduces the family care giving burden. 

Hospice Volunteers can make an impact in many different ways:
  • Assist in reminiscing/telling life stories
  • Listen
  • Read a book, the Bible
  • Life review
  • Caregiver Respite
  • Show respect
  • Tell them "thank you for your service"
How do I become a volunteer?

At Medi Home & Hospice we are welcoming any compasionate, caring person to become a volunteer! There are many opportunities to volunteer in your community as we have patients throughout Northern Virginia. We have opportunities ranging from companionship care, musical ministry to pet therapy and office support.

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a Hospice Volunteer, please call:

Ilene Danforth, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator
(703) 392-7100
email idanforth@msa-corp.com


We want to thank all our dedicated Hospice Volunteers!
You are precious people making a difference day by day!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Hospice Volunteers Make A Difference

Medi Home & Hospice is about helping individuals and their families make their journey less lonely by sharing the best days possible as they deal with a life-limiting illness. It's about adding quality of life and helping you live those days as you choose. Our hospice care services provide a specialized program of care provided for patients and their families. This specialized program and the care you receive is coordinated by a team of professionals that include:
  • Patients' Personal Physicians
  • Registered Nurses
  • Home Health Aides
  • Social Workers
  • Chaplains
  • Speech, Physical and Occupational Therapists
  • Trained Volunteers
A hospice volunteer can do many things with their patients' based on their level of ability. They will walk with them, read to them, make cards with them, but, sometimes, they are there to keep them company or just holding their hand means so much. Unspoken communication is a large part of a hospice volunteer's word. Many times all that is needed is the power of presence.




Other examples of what a hospice volunteer can do include but are not limited to:
  • Showing compassion for and provide support to patients and families
  • Write letters, read, talk or listen and provide other supportive acts of kindness
  • Provide relief to family members
  • Provide administrative support in the hospice office
  • Are responsible and dependable
  • Complete volunteer training
  • Complete regular inservices
Note: It's recommended that surviving family members to wait a minimum of one year following the death of a close loved-one before serving as an active hospice volunteer.



Your contribution as a hospice volunteer may help you, too! It will make life seem more valuable and significant. It will give you opportunities for personal growth and a sense of caring for others.

If you have interest in helping making someones journey less lonely or just need more information about how you can make a difference as a hospice volunteer call:

Medi Home and Hospice at (703) 392-7100
and ask for the Volunteer Coordinator
My photo
Manassas, VA, United States
Ilene Danforth, Medi Home Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, Medical Services of America, Serving hospice patients and their families in Northern Virginia.