SALISBURY, MD – Jan. 12, 2017 – As part of the services they provide, Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care offers volunteer support to patients and their families while the patient is in hospice care and also following their passing. The hospice is seeking volunteers to provide patient care and family grief support in the four Lower Shore counties the hospice serves: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester.

An informational session for anyone wanting to learn about volunteer opportunities at Coastal Hospice will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 18 from noon – 1 p.m. in Salisbury. No commitment to volunteer is required to attend, and the public is invited to the free session.

Coastal Hospice volunteer Dave Duitscher holds a patriotic blanket that he presents with Certificates of Honor to veteran patients, as part of the hospice’s We Honor Veterans program.

For those who have decided to volunteer for Coastal Hospice, a training session will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28from 10 – 11:30 a.m. for all volunteers. The session will continue from 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. for patient care and grief support volunteers.

Advanced training for grief support volunteers will be held on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The informational and training sessions will be held at the Coastal Hospice offices located in Philmore Commons, 224 Phillip Morris Dr., Suite 202, Salisbury, on the northwest corner of U.S. Rt. 50 and Phillip Morris Dr.

For their convenience, volunteers can take the remainder of the training on-line on their own time and in their own homes. Arrangements can also be made for those who don’t have a computer at home.

Patient care volunteers at Coastal Hospice support the patient and family while the patient is under hospice care. They visit with patients and their families in their homes or at a facility, offer a listening ear, run errands, read or hold a patient’s hand.

Grief support volunteers make calls to families who have lost a loved one, help with support and social groups, write notes, prepare mailings, enter data and help with other administrative tasks. They also support children’s bereavement events including Camp Safe Harbor in the summer and Hope and Healing with Horses in the fall.

Coastal Hospice volunteer Gary Hutson dons a Santa suit to visit patient Rex Gravenor during Coastal Hospice’s annual Santa Run in 2016.

Other volunteer opportunities are also available with Coastal Hospice, including office and Thrift Shop work and the hospice’s “We Honor Veterans” program.

To register for training or to receive more information, call Volunteer Services at 410-742-8732 or email volservices@coastalhospice.org.

Founded in 1980, Coastal Hospice is a nonprofit health care organization that cares for individuals facing life-limiting conditions but who want to remain as active and engaged as possible.  Coastal Hospice cares for patients in their home, nursing home, assisted living facility or at Coastal Hospice at the Lake.