Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care is looking for caring and compassionate individuals who are willing to give of their time to help patients and families dealing with terminal illness.

The following is some basic information about a few of the volunteer opportunities within our organization.

* Patient care volunteers-Offer companionship, a calming presence and relief care. Reading, reminiscing, looking through photo albums and light conversation with our patients and families.

* Spiritual care volunteers-Provide a compassionate spiritual presence through poetry, special readings, prayer and meditation. May also support our growing bereavement team needs.

* Office or administrative care volunteers-Support the many different administrative roles in the office. Helping with filing, mailings, packets, medical supply stock and other special projects. During office hours of course.

* Veteran to Veteran volunteers-Visiting with those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Sharing "war stories", life review or veteran’s history project, and replacing of lost medals.

* Musical companion volunteers-Partnering with our Music Therapist or support services team to provide music that brings enjoyment, a positive well- being and is life enriching.

* Complementary Therapy Volunteers- Those who practice Reiki, Yoga, Therapeutic Touch, Massage or aroma therapy. Must be licensed and/or certified within your specific area.

* Loyal Friends pet team- Bring fury smiles to our patients and families through our animal assisted visitation and companionship team. Handlers must join our volunteer program. Pets must be registered/certified with Pet Partners, TDI, or other accredited therapy dog association.

Companionship, friendly visits, spiritual and emotional support are only a small portion of what our trained Hospice volunteers provide on a daily basis. Caregiver relief and advocacy are also very important.

Comprehensive volunteer orientation and training is required and provided free of charge. As a member of our Hospice Interdisciplinary team, ongoing support and education opportunities are also available.

The time commitment for volunteering is flexible and based on individual availability. Most correspondence can be done by phone, mail or email, eliminating the need to come to the offices on a regular basis. Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care serves most of Connecticut. That means that volunteers serve close to home or work.

Should you or someone you know be interested in Volunteering or Interning with Seasons Hospice and Palliative care please visit www.seasons.org/page/volunteer or contact me at khale@seasons.org 203-490-1155. Many patients and families are forever changed by their hospice volunteer. I would be honored to speak to about our Hospice organization. Sincerely, Karen Hale, Volunteer Services

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