What Our Volunteers Do

Volunteers are an integral part of hospice care. Volunteers can work directly with patients and families, or can give their time administratively in the business office. Volunteers choose what best fits their needs and personalities to have a successful and enjoyable experience. New England Hospice has had the pleasure of offering many different volunteer opportunities such as:
Patient Companions, Hospice Phone Communications, Administrative Volunteers, and Education Volunteers
Other special skills and interests are always welcome. If you have an idea or are licensed in a specific field and want to provide your services, please let us know.​

Volunteer Positions

Patient Companion

These volunteers will be assigned to one or more patients to provide them with companionship. 

Providing companionship can include talking, reflecting on memories/patient interests, reading, looking at magazines, playing music, playing appropriate games, and sitting peacefully at the bedside. You can also take the patient to activities and sit with them/help them engage!

Volunteers will be assigned a date and time per patient based on the schedules of the volunteer and patients' family.




​Want to become a patient companion? Apply now 

Hospice Phone Communications

Phone volunteers will be assigned to a patient's Health Care Proxy on the phone and will remain in contact throughout the patient's time on hospice care, as well as the bereavement period.

Within the first week of a patient receiving hospice services, volunteers will call the patient's Health Care Proxy, introduce themselves, and introduce the family to hospice care. Volunteers will then make weekly/bi-weekly phone calls, asking simple questions to check-in, see how the family is doing, and find out if they need to be connected to the hospice team. After a patient has passed, volunteers will call the family for bereavement and check-in weekly/bi-weekly to provide support and see if there are any needs of the family. 

Want to become a hospice phone volunteer? Apply now

Administration

Administrative volunteers will assist our nurses by printing documentation for each patient and delivering it to the appropriate buildings.

Volunteers will work from home printing documents, and travel to facilities once a week to deliver documentation. We will provide the ink, paper, and printer necessary for this role. Once a week, at an agreed upon time, volunteers will drop off all documentation at the correct facilities. 

Currently, we are looking for administrative volunteers to help out in two of our busiest areas, Agawam and Milford. 

Want to become an administrative volunteer? Apply now

Education

Educational volunteers will coordinate with the social media manager, volunteer coordinator, and program managers to provide hospice related education at skilled nursing facilities and senior centers.

For remote volunteers, educational presentations can be conducted virtually over Zoom. Presentations, conducted in person or over Zoom, will provide information and education for patients' families, facility members, and the general public. Presentation topics include, but are not limited to: hospice 101, end of life, advanced directives, grief, and bereavement.

Want to become an education volunteer? Apply now

Other Opportunities

Pet Therapy
If your pet is certified in pet therapy or has passed the AKC Good Citizen Test 
Music Volunteer
If you are a music therapist or musically inclined and wish to provide this service to patients during in-person visits
Chaplain / Spiritual Support 
If you are a chaplain or spiritually involved person who wants to provide spiritual support to patients
Reiki Therapist
Must have an up to date reiki therapist certification legal in MA
Certified Massage Therapist
Must have an up to date massage therapy license legal in MA
​Other special skills and interests are always welcome. If you have an idea or are licensed in a specific field and want to provide your services, please let us know.

Volunteer With Us

Interested in giving your time? We can not wait to hear from you as the opportunities are endless! To get started, complete our volunteer application, and our Volunteer Coordinator will be in contact with you shortly.