“Empathy plays a huge part in my volunteer work. I can’t take credit for anything I do. I believe God has put me through things that make me understand where I am today.” Those are the words of Virginia Spikes who has been volunteering at Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care in Memphis since 2014.
“First of all, it’s who I am. I enjoy finding out about people.” Those are the words of Volunteer Skip Lohman, a retired retail executive and IT executive recruiter.
In the three years Terri Bell has been volunteering as a companion for Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care in Northeast Ohio, she has visited with a total of nine patients.
Val Kennedy has been a Volunteer with Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care in Lenexa, Kansas for “about five years.” In that time, as a Volunteer, Val has “visited with patients” and attended a family reunion, a commitment of vows ceremony and a memorial service.
Hospice care is designed to provide whole-person care for each patient’s unique physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. Hospice volunteers are an essential part of the team providing that care which is why hospices are mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to include hospice volunteers in patient care plans.
“The patients have great stories to tell!” That’s according to Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care in Atlanta Volunteer Joan Brand of Tucker, Georgia. While she’s taking a hiatus from visiting patients as a companion and is currently volunteering in the Crossroads office copying and collating consent and admissions packets, Joan said, “I would love to go back,” when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
