Brattleboro Area Hospice is a community supported organization that thrives due to the generosity, time, talent and love of our volunteers. Whether offering care to someone who is dying, supporting someone in grief, bagging items for customers at the shop, or pulling weeds at the garden, our volunteers keep this organization providing services to those who need them. Our volunteers who work directly with clients are prepared to serve with high levels of empathy, patience and reliability. These volunteers receive extensive training, supervision and support. It is vitally important to us that their experience is educational and affirmative. We believe that when the volunteer experience is positive that the client experience will likely be positive as well. We look for specific qualities in those who we match with our clients.
Volunteer Opportunities
A wide variety of opportunities are available and participants may range in age from teens to senior citizens. Some volunteers may have professional skills or specialized expertise, but most are just people who want to help their friends and neighbors and serve the community.
Opportunities to volunteer include:
Support for hospice clients
This can include visiting, reading, taking walks, writing letters, bringing in music, supervising visits with pets, and other opportunities for volunteers with the necessary skills. All hospice care volunteers complete a twenty-four hour training before placement with hospice clients.
Respite and support for family members
Volunteers can assist with shopping or household maintenance, or allow family caregivers the opportunity to take care of necessary errands and get some time away from the house. Family members also appreciate a visit from a compassionate friend who understands what they are going through. All volunteers complete a twenty-four hour hospice care training before placement with hospice families.
Bereavement support programs
Volunteers can work closely with our professional bereavement staff in duties that range from assisting support group facilitators, to providing one-on-one support to clients. Volunteers are also needed to maintain our Memorial Garden, and work at events such as our Annual Service of Remembrance. All volunteers complete a twenty hour bereavement training before working with clients.
Fundraising, outreach and administrative work
We have volunteer opportunities at our thrift Shop, Experienced Goods, located in downtown Brattleboro at 80 Flat Street. To learn more about our store go here.
Other responsibilities can range from preparing mailings, working with our Events Committee organizing fundraising events, and contacting possible donors.
Volunteer Trainings
We offer volunteer trainings in the Spring and Fall of each year, for more information, please click here to visit the Volunteer Training Application page.
At the completion of our training we ask our participants to self assess their ability to exhibit these qualities:
Patience: 91%
Empathy: 100%
Non-Judgement: 100%
Appropriate Boundaries: 91%
Ability to Hold Space for Other’s Emotional Pain: 100%
Reliability: 100%
Based on what I’ve learned in the training I feel that I have the personal qualities necessary to be an effective hospice care volunteer: 100%
What I learned, and am still learning, is that there is nothing to be fixed in the face of death. Nothing is broken. The greatest gift we have to give is our attention and our ability to hold the space for whatever is unfolding.