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Volunteer Training
Our
Volunteer Training Program is designed to deliver on national standards
for volunteer competencies and best practices to ensure quality care
and support. Training is mandatory for all Hospice patient/family
volunteers and strongly encouraged for other Hospice volunteers.
Training takes place 1-2 times per year and includes the following core
competencies to increase volunteer knowledge and provide the skills
needed to support dying people and their families as a Hospice
Volunteer.
1. History, Philosophy and Principles of Hospice Palliative Care
- Death in Canadian society
- History, philosophy and principles of hospice palliative care
- Introduction to Hospice Greater Saint John
- Role of interdisciplinary team and working together to provide quality, comprehensive care
- Understanding the dying persons needs and experience
2. Pain and Symptom Management
- Overview of pain and symptoms in terminal care
- Understanding the total pain experience
- Effective pain and symptom management
- Role of caregiver in pain and symptom management
- Use of complimentary therapies
3. The Dying Process and Final Hours of Care
- The final days and hours of a dying person’s life
- Signs of approaching death
- Appropriate actions and comfort measures
- Supporting the family
4. Communication
- Principles of effective communication
- Effective communication with dying persons
- Guidelines for being there and active listening
- Communicating with families
5. Grief and Bereavement
- Anticipatory grief
- The grief and bereavement process
- Expressions of grief and coping with loss
- Children, teens and grief
- Personal awareness of loss
- Supporting families to cope
6. Caring for the Spirit
- Understanding spirituality and religion
- Understanding the spiritual needs of a dying person
- Providing spiritual support in end-of-life care
- Hope and the human spirit
7. Multi-Cultural Care
- General knowledge of different religions and faiths
- Knowledge of cultural attitudes towards death and dying
- Understanding and appreciation of the impact of cultural differences on care
- Comfort
level with the volunteer’s role in improving relationships across
cultures and supporting cultural beliefs related to dying and grieving.
8. Self-Care
- Understanding and coping with stress
- Warning signs of burnout
- Caring for the self
9. Privacy, Confidentiality and Ethical Issues
- Understanding people’s right to privacy
- Knowledge of confidentiality
- Understanding ethical issues in hospice palliative care
10. Infection Control
- Understanding health and safety issues
- Knowledge of standard precautions
- Understanding MRSA
- Good hand washing techniques
11. Role of the Hospice Volunteer
- Understanding the roles, responsibilities and rights of volunteers
- Knowledge of Hospice Greater Saint John policies and responsibilities
- Putting it into practice tips and best practices
- Where from here and next steps
12. Exploring Your Personal Experiences With Death and Grief
- Learn more about yourself, your feelings and beliefs about death, dying and grief
- Spend time remembering your reactions to loss, both at the time it occurred and in the adjustment period thereafter
- Understand what was helpful and what was not and prepare to be a Hospice volunteer
13. Helping Children and Teens Cope With Dying, Death and Grief
- Knowledge of how children and teens view death and grief
- Understand how children and teens cope and what information and support they need
- Guidelines for helping children and teens cope with the palliative and grief support process
- Understand how to support parents to respond appropriately to children and teens in healthy/helpful ways
Call 632-5593 to register for our next training program.
Any one of our staff would be pleased
to
discuss volunteering with you, and help you find the volunteer
opportunity that suits your needs and availability best. To contact us, click here.
To download a Volunteer
Application Form, click here.
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