Administration
What Can
Volunteers Do?
Volunteering in Palliative
Care is an opportunity to
be involved with people
who are at one of the
most critical phases of
their life.
Who can care
better for a
community
than the
people who
live in it?
Volunteers can support the administration of
Ballarat Hospice in the following ways:
• Office/Clerical assistance including mail
outs, newsletter etc
• Registering to help on nominated days or
times - a variety of positions exist where an
extra pair of hands are needed.
Patient Support
Volunteers can support patients, their families
and carers by providing:
•
Those wishing to become volunteers will
usually have had some life experience that has
touched them and made them more aware of
the circumstances that face those with a life
limiting illness. The desire to help others, learn
more about grief and loss and come to terms
with their own mortality are all legitimate and
worthwhile reasons to volunteer for palliative
care service.
Volunteering in palliative care offers the
intellectual and emotional stimulation of having
to deal with the ‘big questions’ such as the
meaning of life and death, and gives an
opportunity to reflect on one’s own values and
priorities.
Friends of Hospice
Friends of Hospice are a fun loving social group of
volunteers who organise and attend the majority of
Ballarat Hospice’s fundraising events, including
Annual Golf Days, Trots Nights, Evenings of
Entertainment, Christmas Memory Trees and
BBQs.
•
•
•
•
•
Daytime Respite Care: Staying with the
client whilst the carer attends to business
or recreation away from the home
Companionship: providing a new social
contact and a change of routine for the
client or carer
Errands: undertaking small shopping
errands etc., to enable the carer to remain
at home
Transport, Escort and Outings: providing
the client or carer with transport to
medical or other appointments or taking
the client for an outing, this is also offered
during bereavement.
Bereavement Support: to family members
following death for up to twelve months
Garden Maintenance: to families and
their carers who are overwhelmed by all
the other pressures of living with a terminal
illness.
Friends of Hospice Op Shop volunteers were
integral in establishing and setting up the Op Shop,
which originally opened within the Church on
Ballarat Hospice’s premises in March 2014.
Volunteers are responsible for the day to day
operations, provided with guidance and support
from the Op Shop Manager.
33 Little Bridge Street, Ballarat
Special Interest Group
The Special Interest Group offers social support
and companionship after bereavement. They
started with Ballarat Hospice back in 1987 and
have continued to grow as a group throughout the
years. They also contributeto Ballarat Hospice
fundraising and are excellent advocates in the
Community.
E:Structure/Brochures/BR07 Volunteering Brochure
Reviewed January 2015 Awaiting approval
Skills, Qualifications and Training
•
Formal qualifications are not required, but
volunteers must have completed the induction/
training program provided by Ballarat Hospice.
They will have satisfied the Manager of
Volunteers that they have the necessary skills to
be a volunteer. These include: good
communication and listening skills, acceptance of
and respect for the choices of others, ability to
work as part of an interdisciplinary team and the
ability to work confidentially whilst maintaining a
positive attitude.
Friends of Hospice volunteers . Volunteers
will receive orientation and training to assist
them to undertake the role of attracting funds
from various events that are held within the
community. The events focus on teamwork,
having fun and having a positive attitude. .
•
Friends of Hospice Opportunity Shop
Volunteers are actively involved in all functions
of running the Friends of Hospice Op Shop.
Orientation will be provided to roles that are
available.
•
Special Interest Group existing members
support each other with the assistance of
Ballarat Hospice.
•
•
Administration volunteers will receive
orientation within the workplace and
relevant information to assist them to
undertake their particular tasks. They will
also receive training relating to Ballarat
Hospice’s policies.
Patient Support volunteers undergo an
initial training program covering key issues
when assisting and supporting patients and
families dealing with illness, bereavement
and grief. Palliative care volunteer training
is a continuous process of formal,
structured training and experiential on-thejob learning. Formal training is required to
ensure that Victorian minimum standards
for volunteer participation in palliative care
services are recognised and met.
Experiential on-the-job learning allows
volunteers to acquire new skills and
knowledge.
Our Vision:
To offer our community a specialist palliative care service
focused on end of life issues and care..
Our Mission
Ballarat Hospice Care, using a skilled, multidisciplinary
team approach facilitates, with compassion, the provision
of home-based holistic palliative care, to anyone facing end
of life issues.
Primary Objectives
To provide specialist palliative care equitably and
responsively within available resources. To promote
palliative care values within the community.
Our Values:
Honesty Kindness Loyalty
Respect: Skill Trust Willingness
People who have experienced a loss within
a 12 month period prior to applying to
volunteer are encouraged to address their
own issues of healing with their
bereavement and loss. This does not mean that
you should not apply, but be open to discussing your
current situation with the Manager of Volunteers.
Ballarat Hospice Care Inc
312 Drummond Street South
PO Box 96, Ballarat 3353
Phone (03) 5333 1118
Fax (03) 5333 1119
www.ballarathospicecare.org.au
Email: [email protected]
E:Structure/Brochures/BR07 Volunteering Brochure
Reviewed January 2015 Awaiting approval