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New year brings volunteer opportunities at Niagara Hospice

by jmaloni

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Fri, Dec 26th 2014 01:35 pm

If one of your new year's resolutions is to help improve the life of another or to do more good, Niagara Hospice has a volunteer position for you. Niagara Hospice will hold a new volunteer training from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, and Wednesday, Jan. 14.

Niagara Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Andrea Haseley said the organization is looking for compassionate individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of Niagara County residents as they make their final journey.

"Volunteer positions include patient-related and non-patient related jobs," she said. "Volunteers are needed to assist with comfort tote deliveries, hairdressing, and to simply visit with patients."

Visits take place in the patient's or caregiver's home, at Niagara Hospice House, and at area long-term-care facilities where hospice patients reside. Other opportunities include helping with community outreach, clerical tasks and fundraising efforts of the Niagara Hospice Alliance. Haseley said volunteers could choose to help in areas of their preference.

The agency's most immediate needs for volunteers are in the areas of making home visits to patients in the Lockport and Niagara Falls areas; visiting residents at Hospice at Jeanne's House at Northgate and at David's Path at Schoellkopf Health Care Facility; and certified pet visit volunteers.

Veterans also are needed to serve as hospice volunteers as part of the "We Honor Veterans" initiative launched by Niagara Hospice in partnership with the WNY Veteran's Administration.

Tricia Degan, director of marketing and public relations, said, "Our hospice patients who are veterans often don't talk about their service, but we have found that, when we pair them up with a volunteer who is also a veteran, a special camaraderie is shared and patients find comfort and even relief being able to talk about their experience in the service with another veteran."

The volunteer training will be held at Northgate Health Care Facility, 7264 Nash Road, North Tonawanda. Anyone interested can contact the Niagara Hospice volunteer office at 716-280-0748 for an application and to register. More information and volunteer applications are available at www.NiagaraHospice.org.

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