Hospice Dufferin

What services does your organization provide?
Hospice Dufferin provides support to individuals who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and their families, throughout their illness.
As soon as someone is told that they have a life-threatening, or life-limiting illness they can contact Hospice Dufferin for help with social & emotional support, help with navigating the medical & community service agencies, and help with any other questions they may have about their illness.

Do you have any age requirements?
The majority of Volunteers at Hospice Dufferin are adults. Many people are retired, approaching retirement, or volunteering to build their resume.

Do you require language proficiency other than in English?
No, Hospice Dufferin does not require our Volunteers to speak any language other than English. However, we would appreciate the opportunity to work with more bilingual Volunteers.

What time commitment(s) are you expecting from a volunteer?
Hospice Dufferin probably has one of the most flexible Volunteer schedules available.
We work around the schedules of our Clients (days, evenings, weekends, weekdays).
Our only manditory requirement is a committment to the training program.

Are there any other requirements for being a volunteer?
All Hospice Dufferin Volunteers must have an interview, pass a screening process, complete our Support Volunteer Training, and become Volunteer Members of our organization.

Are there any specific skills and experience required?
Hospice Dufferin does not require any special skills. We train all of our Volunteers so they can feel confident before they are asked to perform any task with our clients.

What type of volunteer positions are typically available?
Hospice Dufferin corrently offers the following Volunteer opportunities:

Palliative Support Volunteer:Visits our clients on a one-to-one basis in their home, long-term care, or hospital (wherever their journey takes them.
Bereavement Support Volunteer:Visits our clients on a one-to-one basis after the loss of a loved one.
Circles Program Volunteer:Helps to facititate Palliative Support in a group environment.
Footsteps in Grief Volunteer:Helps to facilitate Bereavement Support in a group environment.
Legacy Volunteer:Helps clients record their stories so that their Legacy may continue.
Hospice House Helpers:Helps us to maintain our 100-year-old house through gardening, light housekeeping, and TLC (Tender Loving Care).
Fundraising Volunteers:Participate on Committees to raise funds for Hospice Dufferin. Our organization must raise 75% of our opperating budget annually.
Board of Directors:Governance on Hospice Dufferin utilizing vocational skills and community engagement.

*We are open to considering other Volunteer opportunities, please ask.*

Is there any training provided for volunteers?
Hospice Dufferin Training consists of 12 sessions and has a $20 administration fee for materials:

8 classroom training sessions
1 hospital tour
1 funeral home tour
2 orientation sessions

What are the typical volunteer activities occurring at your organization?
Our 2 main events are the Hike for Hospice Dufferin in May, and the Ladies Golf Tournament in September.

How will a person benefit from volunteering with Hospice Dufferin?

• All of our volunteers will acquire first-hand experience working within the Palliative Care and/or Berevement framework.
• All of our volunteers will impact the care of the people in our community who have fought or are still fighting a life-threatening illness.
• Many people are not aware of just how much support Hospice Dufferin provides within the community, but because we connect with people as soon as they are told of their illness we may have the opportunity to work with them over the course of many days, weeks, months, or even years.

Do you accept high school students?
Hospice Dufferin is always open to the opportunity of working with anybody who is eager.

We prefer to work with high school students who view Hospice Dufferin as a long-term volunteer opportunity.