People who have a limited life expectancy are too often isolated from the people and friends that make their lives meaningful and worthwhile. At Brattleboro Area Hospice we recognize that until the moment of death people have physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Our Hospice Care Program addresses these needs and helps dying people to live as comfortably and meaningfully as possible.
Our Hospice Care Volunteers are well trained, supervised, and prepared to lend assistance during a vulnerable time in people’s lives. Ongoing education, training, and support enable them to provide the best possible care when it matters most.
With services available to people of all ages, our Hospice Care Program provides:
• Non-medical volunteer assistance to people in their homes, in hospitals and community care homes
• Bedside vigil volunteers during the last hours of life
• Bedside music – The Hallowell Singers tend to one’s spirit with music
• Loan of durable medical equipment when insurance does not cover rental costs
• Resource and referral information as well as supportive counseling and education for anyone in the community with concerns about end-of-life issues
Hospice Care Volunteers Offer:
• Emotional support
• Companionship
• Respite for caregivers
• Comfort with the dying process
• Complementary care such as Reiki, massage, etc.
• Practical assistance, such as:
– Meals & food preparation
– Transportation
– Supporting children
– Pet care
– Shopping & errands
– Seasonal chores (gardening, etc.)
– Light housekeeping like dishes and laundry
– Personal hygiene care
– Answering the phone
– Correspondence
– Hobbies & interests (arts, crafts, music, fishing, reading, writing, etc.)
– Transportation
– Supporting children
– Pet care
– Shopping & errands
– Seasonal chores (gardening, etc.)
– Light housekeeping like dishes and laundry
– Personal hygiene care
– Answering the phone
– Correspondence
– Hobbies & interests (arts, crafts, music, fishing, reading, writing, etc.)
Anyone with a terminal illness and a prognosis of up to one year, and family and loved ones of someone with a terminal illness, are eligible for our Hospice Care Program. Individuals who are receiving home care and have a terminal illness with a prognosis of up to two years, and who may choose to continue active medical therapies are eligible for our EarlyCare Support program.
Anyone can make a referral to our Hospice Program or our EarlyCare Program, including family members, caregivers, or the client themselves. We also work closely and accept referrals from local doctors, home nursing agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, and senior care facilities.
All services are free of charge & confidential. We do not provide medical care. Please contact our Hospice Care Coordinators at 802-257-0775 for more information.
“I cannot express the extent to which your organization and its volunteers have helped our family. Without our volunteers, we would have had no respite at all and would not have been able to continue caring for our father at home as long as we did.”