Brighton Hospice in Carmel is putting out a call for more volunteers for its central Indiana services. Brighton, which serves more than 10 regions in the U.S., including the Indianapolis and the Fishers areas, provides end-of-life assistance for those who prefer to live out their last days at home.
“Right now, we have about 22 volunteers,” volunteer coordinator Katresha Taylor said. “We recently recruited for some administrative or office volunteers, but most of them are what we call companion volunteers.”
A companion volunteer, unlike a health aide, is a hands-off person. Their mission is to alleviate some of the loneliness that a person who lives alone might experience when they have a terminal illness. Volunteers often talk to the person, watch TV with them, read to them and other friendship tasks.
“They also provide a second set of eyes for us, so we can better monitor what’s going on with them,” Taylor said. “If you can imagine people in this difficult time, some of them are at home alone, some are at assisted living, but most of them go through some loneliness and fear. The volunteer performs an invaluable service by helping to make the patient feel a little less stress and loneliness.”
Brighton Hospice, 280 E. 96th St., Indianapolis, opened its Carmel location in 2020. Since then, it has had an ongoing need for volunteer companions. Volunteers can even provide relief for caregivers when they need to go shopping, visit the doctor, or otherwise be away from the hospice patient.
The agency provides training for its volunteers at the Carmel campus. The training lasts approximately 20 hours and covers a week of in-class studies.
“It’s a really thorough training,” Taylor said. “We never just throw the volunteer out there.”
To become a volunteer, call Volunteer Services at 317-798-2160.
