Our volunteer services are designed to support people of any age living with or affected by a life-limiting illness. (A life-limiting illness is one likely to cause death in the foreseeable future.)
Palliative care is holistic care that helps people nearing the end of their life to live as well as possible for as long as possible. In Home Hospice Care aims to provide comfort and assistance that includes help with emotional and mental health, spiritual, and social needs. The goal is to improve both your quality of life and that of your family, friends and carers. Dying, as with living, should include choices, such as being supported to stay in one's own home surrounded by family and friends, and where one’s warmest of memories were created.
We understand that the diagnosis of a life limiting health condition may be the most confronting experience in life and therefore our Hospice care is based on each person’s individual needs. Our Hospice staff will talk to you about your needs and wishes to make sure they consider what you want in the care provided. These discussions help clarify your values, hopes, beliefs and preferences and enable volunteers to be assigned who best match your interests.
As a client of our In Home Hospice service, you will be assigned a volunteer/volunteers who will visit you regularly (usually once a week), at negotiated times. Your volunteer will understand that your needs may vary from visit to visit. For example, sometimes you may feel like talking, whilst other times you may just want to rest.
Volunteers do not administer medication or provide nursing, medical care or clinical advice. They focus instead on providing practical assistance to the ill person, their family and carer including giving the family and/or carer the opportunity to take a break along with any other helpful tasks within the boundaries of the volunteer and IHHCare.
Our volunteers can help with:
- Shopping
- Getting to appointments
- Maintaining social activities
- Giving family members/carers some time out or ‘respite’.
