My first tip would be to be hands on. To feel comfortable and to enjoy your work, don't be idle. Be creative. Search for ways to be useful.
Some of the things I've done:
- written letters and cards
- written a life history and obituary and presented it to the children after the passing
- decorated seasonally
- played games
- simply visited
- took patients on walks
- weeded flower beds and shoveled snowy walkways
- planted and gifted flower boxes and bird feeders (there is an inexpensive feeder on the market that hangs right on the window)
- walked a dog and adopted it when the owner passed
- played Bocce Ball (lawn bowling) with the patient sitting in a chair and me fetching the balls back and forth (great exercise)
- created simple songbooks of lyrics and recorded the patient singing favorites for the family
How to dress:
o Older generations appreciate dressing up a little (slacks, blouse, nonathletic shoes)
o In nursing homes where I spend a lot of time on my knees, I wear my Inspiration Hospice polo and dress jeans.
o One younger more colorful guy was hesitant to let me in. I decided he’d be more comfortable with jeans and a t-shirt. I may have appeared too “churchy” for his comfort.
o For 11th hour, no tight waist bands as you may spend four hours in a chair, leaning forward to reach the patient.
As smart phones become more affordable, I find more and more uses for them in my hospice work. Mine serves as:
- a GPS to find homes and care centers in the middle of the night,
- a digital recorder to preserve life stories and the patient singing
- a source of lyrics to hymns and songs of the patient's era
- a player for any type of music
- a player for mediation sound effects or music
- a pre-lit book reader for those darkened rooms
- and even a phone!
I learn from each patient and family that I work with. I'm convinced that I get more out of it than they do, including fun compliments like "little girl" and "beautiful" and many a kiss!
Remember that volunteer notes are über important! To help myself remember to write and send them in, I don't take my name badge off until I have completed the task. Or if I really must, I take it off and drape it right over the computer monitor so that I won't forget to send that e-mail. If it's not documented, it's like it never happened. Remember that a hospice can't keep it's accreditation if it doesn't have sufficient volunteer hours recorded.
No comments:
Post a Comment