Hospice volunteers sought

Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice is seeking volunteers to support hospice patients and caregivers. Volunteer training will be held throughout the month of March.

Hospice is a special kind of care that focuses on relief of pain, symptom control and spiritual and emotional support for patients with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families and caregivers. Hospice care is available to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Karen Kautman will lead the volunteer training. Kautman says, "You do not need a medical or spiritual background to be an effective hospice volunteer, just a willingness to become an important part of someone's life, and the commitment to the program and its mission."

Ellen Macdonald of Decorah began volunteering with WMC Hospice in 2006, 14 years following the death of her father in Michigan. "I had remembered how important hospice support was to me when he was ill. Although it is many years later, this opportunity allows me to, in some way, repay the hospice community," says Ellen.

Volunteers offer respite care for families, may read to or visit with patients, offer services the family may find helpful such as grocery shopping or light housekeeping, and provide continued visits and contacts with loved ones following the death.

Hospice volunteer training classes run each Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon from March 9th through March 24th. For more information or to register, contact Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice at (563) 387-3024.

(Pictured above, left to right): Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Karen Kautman and Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice volunteer Ellen Macdonald.