Mission Hospice Society volunteers are compassionate community members who bring a wealth of life experience, unique skills, and heartfelt care to their roles. The greatest gift our volunteers offer is the gift of time. They don’t need to rush—they are present, patient, and responsive to the needs of residents, their families, and friends during what is often a stressful and emotional time.
All Mission Hospice Society volunteers complete a comprehensive 35–40 hour training program led by the Volunteer Coordinator and professional team members. This training prepares volunteers for their roles by covering key topics such as the philosophy of hospice care, understanding pain, self-care and boundaries, listening and communication skills, the needs and fears of the dying, comfort measures, coping with loss, and supporting those who are grieving. In addition to preparing volunteers for direct support roles, the training also highlights the many meaningful ways volunteers can contribute to the Mission Hospice Society without providing direct care to individuals who are dying.
Mission Hospice will host the next volunteer training from September 18 to October 30, 2025. Please email voc@missionhospice.bc.ca for more information.
Mission Hospice Volunteer Training Class of Fall 2023
The greatest gift a Mission Hospice volunteer gives is the gift of time.
Mission Hospice volunteers can provide the following areas of support:
A significant part of the hospice volunteer’s role is to provide emotional support for patients and/or family members. This encompasses being present, listening, accepting, and normalizing.
A volunteer may listen, reassure without giving advice, share worries and concerns, hold a hand, or just sit quietly. Other activities may include reading, listening to music, playing games, and watching TV or a movie.
A volunteer may assist the patient and family with activities that practically enhance their quality of life.
A volunteer may review a patient’s life, explore meaning and value, and even record these memories.
If asked, a volunteer may pray, chant, sing with a family, read inspirational books, and play meaningful music. The volunteer will listen if the patient wants to communicate his or her beliefs, values, spiritual or religious faiths, fears, any thoughts or feelings about end of life, or will provide a referral to a pastoral care worker or community spiritual leader.
The volunteer may stay with the patient during scheduled periods of time when the caregiver needs to be away, or spend time with other family members.
Volunteers offer a variety of comforts supports which include companioning, listening, reading, singing, holding someone’s hand, legacy work, feeding assistance and serving beverages and snacks. Specially trained volunteers provide reiki, healing touch, meditation, harp therapy and art therapy.
A volunteer may help identify community resources or help the family access appropriate hospice palliative care services.
If requested, a volunteer team can stay with a patient and family around the clock during the last day or two of life.
A volunteer may become aware of a few needs that are not being met and can advocate for those needs or support the family.
Volunteers provide one on one bereavement support and are involved in various grief support programs.