Hospice of San Joaquin seeks new volunteers

Hospice of San Joaquin, established in 1980, provides care for patients nearing the end of their lives, as well as supporting their friends and families, relying on volunteers to support their staff of social workers, nurses and other caregivers.

The hospice center is planning a volunteer training for mid-July, and is seeking new volunteers to provide end-of-life support for patients and their families. According to Multimedia Coordinator Trina Garrett, they need volunteers to work in their office, help with events and provide patient care.

“Volunteers are paired with patients based on their interests and backgrounds, and act as companions for the patients,” said Garrett.

While they do not provide medical care, they do support caregivers by acting as another set of eyes and ears in the patients’ home, as well as listening to patients, running errands for them and helping out in any other way they can. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and have a clean background.

Volunteer Manager Becky Freeman said in an email that the center’s Veteran-to-Veteran program is also seeking volunteers with military experience to visit with fellow veterans who are nearing the end of their lives, saying, “They are able to relate better with someone who has shared similar experiences and the military culture.”

Freeman added that the hospice center also has a pet therapy program that is popular with patients and volunteers alike.

No specific date has been set for the training as of yet, according to Garrett, although she expects it to last for three days during the middle of the week in mid-July. After a presentation on the history of hospice care in general and Hospice of San Joaquin, specifically, prospective volunteers will learn about what the nurses do and who the patients are. Representatives from each department will then explain their respective jobs, including the role of social workers in hospice care.

The training will take place at Hospice of San Joaquin’s office in Stockton, located at 3888 Pacific Avenue, directly across from the University of the Pacific. For more information, contact Volunteer Manager Becky Freeman at 209-957-3888.