Hospice Community Celebrates National Volunteer Week

home care omaha Hospice advocate Torrey DeVitto

All across the country, hospice providers are celebrating National Volunteer Week April 21-27, 2013. Each year, more than 1.65 million patients receive hospice care in the United States, which couldn’t happen without the support of dedicated individuals offering their time and helping hands to those facing a life-limiting illness.

The duties of hospice volunteers are many: serving patients and their families at the bedside, assisting with office duties, helping to raise awareness of issues pertinent to hospice care, helping with fundraising, contributing to educational programs and more. The vital role of volunteers is perhaps best reflected in the fact that it’s federally mandated under Medicare that 5 percent of all patient care hours be provided by trained volunteers, according to a press release from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

NHPCO president and CEO J. Donald Schumacher had this to day about the important role of hospice volunteers:

Hospice volunteers play an indispensable role in enabling hospice and palliative care organizations to offer the best care possible for patients living with life-limiting illness, their families and caregivers. By sharing their time, energy, and expertise, volunteers bring compassion and caring to the lives of those in need.

The National Hospice Foundation will present the Buschwald Spirit of Caring Award to actress and hospice advocate Torrey DeVitto on Friday, April 26. Besides serving as a hospice volunteer for six years, DeVitto has spent much of her time encouraging younger Americans to learn more about hospice and consider giving their time.

“As a hospice volunteer, I’ve seen firsthand the comfort, love and respect hospice brings to all the people they care for. I offer my thanks to all the hospice volunteers across the country who are doing so much for their communities,” DeVitto is quoted saying in the press release.

Physicians Choice Private Duty salutes the effort of the NHPCO, DeVitto and volunteers across the country. If you have any questions about local hospice providers, feel free to contact Encompass for help.

Physicians Choice Private Duty currently serving Omaha, Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa provides seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system. All Encompass services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. 

Image via Torrey-DeVitto.org

 

“Physicians Choice Private Duty solves the problems families face in finding home health care providers they can trust. Providers who will focus on strategies that keep parents in their homes. To learn more about our health care services, visit http://www.encompass-home-health-care.com.”