About
At Arbor Hospice, we believe no one should face the end of life alone. Everyone has the right to spend their final months free of physical, emotional and spiritual pain in an environment where they are most secure. By providing exceptional medical care to patients and expert caregiver support – delivered by capable, dedicated, compassionate professionals – we help families focus on what’s most important to them.
Volunteering
If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer for Arbor Hospice and meet the requirements detailed below, you will receive 8 hours of general training followed by ongoing education throughout the year and interest specific modules which you can choose to take, such as pediatric volunteering, grief support volunteering, veteran to veteran volunteer visits and more. Depending on how you’d like to serve, we’ll be sure your training will support your success in your particular volunteer role.
General topics covered during volunteer training include:
- Introduction to hospice and palliative care
- Active listening and ways to improve communication
- Protection of patient/family rights, including confidentiality
- Knowledge of advance directives and powers of attorney
- Respecting cultural differences
- Physiological, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of end of live care
- The healing process
Volunteer Requirements
Before submitting your volunteer application, please take a moment to consider whether volunteering with Arbor Hospice is right for you:
- Volunteers are asked to commit at least one year of service to Arbor Hospice. Continuity of care is important to our patients and families, therefore our volunteer opportunities are considered long-term, and not suited for those looking for temporary or summer-only volunteering.
- Because our patients reside throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Western Wayne counties, our volunteer opportunities are best suited to those with their own transportation. We cannot guarantee that volunteer opportunities will be available on a bus route that works for you.
- Our volunteer opportunities are best for those with morning and afternoon availability, as that is when patients and families are most in need of visitors.
- If you are interested in volunteering in our inpatient Residence, please note that it has relocated to Saline, MI, at 440 W. Russell St., #100 Saline, MI 48176.
- All volunteers are required to attend a one-day orientation class, offered on a quarterly basis.
- All volunteers providing support for our patients are required to have annual TB testing to meet compliance requirements.
- The State of Michigan Department of Community Health requires various criminal background checks for hospice volunteers, and that all volunteers are fingerprinted.
- At this time, volunteer opportunities are only available to those 18 and older.
- To honor the grieving process, volunteers are asked to wait a year after the death of a loved one before becoming an Arbor Hospice volunteer.
We would love to have you consider joining our volunteer team. Arbor Hospice offers volunteer opportunities in Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe, Lenawee and Jackson counties.
If you’ve read the requirements and are ready to get started, fill out our volunteer application form.
After you’ve submitted the form, a volunteer program coordinator will contact you and provide additional information about available volunteer opportunities, training dates and locations, and next steps.
If you prefer to speak with us before applying, please call Alana Knoppow, Volunteer Program Manager at 248-303-6818 or email her at [email protected].
