Volunteer FAQs

How can I become a volunteer for Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island?
Applications can be obtained by calling the office at 401-415-4200 or you may complete the volunteer application online,  or download a PDF of the application, complete it and mail it to the Volunteer Department, 1085 North Main Street , Providence, RI  02904.

What do hospice volunteers do?
Volunteers provide practical and emotional support to patients, families and office staff. They can provide companionship to patients, respite for families, assist caregivers with specific projects, provide transportation or do errands. Volunteers listen to patients stories and are a vital communication link between patients, families, and Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island staff.

Some of the activities that volunteers regularly assist with are: playing cards, reading to patients, helping with child supervision, preparing a light meal, housesitting while a family attends a wake or funeral, assisting with a special project such as writing a life review or making a scrapbook.

Why would someone want to become a hospice volunteer?
By being a hospice volunteer, you can gain great personal satisfaction from knowing you have made an impact in another person’s life. Many volunteers feel honored to have the opportunity to be present with an individual at such a poignant and vulnerable time. Volunteers are presented with challenges and learn life lessons when caring for our patients and families.

What types of volunteers does Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island use?
We have volunteers who provide:

What requirements are there for volunteers at Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island?
Volunteers are considered staff at Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island. Patient volunteers must be at least 18 years old. All volunteers must conform to agency policies and must complete our application process. This includes completing an application, being interviewed, a criminal background check, reference check, immunization record check, completion of our compliance requirements and competency evaluations. Patient volunteers must complete approximately 9 hours of in-class instruction – the General Agency Orientation and a volunteer training.

New trainees should be without a significant loss within their family or among their close friends at least one year before entering direct patient/family care training. Annual performance evaluations are completed for each volunteer.

What type of training do hospice volunteers receive?
Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Orientation to the agency
• Hospice mission/philosophy
• Patient/family dynamics
• Communication skills
• Standard precautions
• Role of hospice team
• HIPAA compliance, confidentiality
• Volunteer roles/documentation

Additional training is offered to volunteers who wish to assist our patients with spiritual care or bereavement, or at our Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center.

What are volunteers not allowed to do?
Volunteers do not provide personal care for patients. They do not feed, medicate, ambulate, toilet, or transfer patients from bed/chair/wheelchair, etc.

Where can volunteers visit patients?
Volunteers visit patients in  patients' homes, in long-term care facilities (nursing homes), hospitals, and at the Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center.

Do volunteers have to submit documentation about their visits?
Yes, volunteers submit weekly documentation regarding their visits to patients.

Can volunteers visit more than one patient at a time?
Yes. Volunteers can choose to visit one patient at a time or they can visit several. It is a decision that is made by the volunteer. Volunteers may request to be inactive at any time for personal reasons.

How does Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island support their volunteers?
Volunteer coordinators are in regular contact with volunteers, primarily by phone and by email. Monthly newsletters are mailed to all volunteers with current information, upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Regular in-service and educational opportunities are available to volunteers. In addition, the Spiritual Care, Bereavement and Social Work departments can assist volunteers with issues relating to their volunteer work with Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island patients.

Volunteers are part of the Interdisciplinary Group (IDG) that works to ensure the highest quality of life possible for the person living with a life-limiting illness. Other members of the team are physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains and bereavement specialists. Volunteers can attend IDT meetings to discuss their patients.

Staff members are available to discuss specific patient concerns with volunteers one-on-one or with a group of volunteers who are supporting a particular patient.

Who do I call if something happens when I’m visiting a patient?
Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There is always a nurse available and an administrator on call.

How many volunteers does Home & Hospice have?
As of October 2010, Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island has 330 volunteers.

How many hours did volunteers donate in FY 2010?
More than 21,700 hours were donated to Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island by volunteers between October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010. This is the equivalent of approximately ten additional full-time staff. HHCRI provides statistical reports on the activity of the volunteer program in accordance with federal regulations that state that not less than 5 percent of the total hours delivered in patient care should be donated by the agency’s volunteers.