Care Is Essential. Presence Is Vital.
Across our community, there are people nearing the end of life who are not in need of more medical care. What they need most is connection. They need calm conversation, familiar faces, and the reassurance that they are not alone. They need someone willing to sit with them, listen to their stories, and remind them that their life still matters.
This is where RVNAhealth hospice volunteers step in, offering a kind of support that is simple, powerful, and deeply human.
Hospice volunteers provide non-medical care that supports both patients and families during one of the most vulnerable seasons of life. Their presence eases loneliness, reduces stress, and brings comfort and dignity to people who deserve to feel seen and valued until the very end. Stephanie Peppe, RVNAhealth’s Manager of Volunteer Services and a certified pet therapy handler, witnesses this transformation daily.
“Hospice volunteers change the emotional atmosphere of a room,” she says. “Sometimes the biggest shift happens the moment someone realizes they are not alone anymore.”
Right now, RVNAhealth has patients and families who would benefit from additional volunteer support. Some live in memory care communities. Others remain at home, supported by spouses or adult children who are providing daily care. Many are simply hoping for regular companionship and a familiar face a few times each month. Volunteer visits are gentle, unhurried, and meaningful. A visit may include conversation, reading aloud, sharing music, looking through photo albums, or simply sitting quietly together. These moments may seem small, yet they have a profound effect on emotional wellbeing for both patients and caregivers.
Volunteers support families as much as they support patients. When someone is nearing the end of life, caregivers often carry heavy emotional and physical demands. A volunteer’s visit offers something invaluable. It provides time to step outside, run errands, make phone calls, or simply breathe, knowing their loved one is not alone.
“Caregivers carry so much,” Stephanie shares. “Volunteers give them space to breathe, even if it’s just for a short while.”
This role is an essential part of hospice care. Medicare requires that at least five percent of hospice care hours be provided by trained volunteers, reflecting how central human connection is to quality end-of-life care. RVNAhealth provides training and ongoing support, and no medical background is required. Volunteers come from all walks of life. What matters most is reliability, compassion, and a willingness to be present. Some volunteers offer conversation and companionship. Others bring specialized gifts such as Reiki, pet therapy, massage, music, art, hair care, or wellness practices. Veteran volunteers provide meaningful peer-to-peer support for fellow veterans.
As a volunteer for RVNAhealth, you choose the role and time that works for you. Our volunteer program provides orientation and training for each volunteer who gifts us with their time, talents, and expertise. Volunteers receive ongoing support from our staff and experienced volunteers.
We offer flexible opportunities to meet your schedule. We can work with you or your organization for special one-time volunteer projects such as fundraising or a holiday event. Our volunteers interact with patients and family members of all ages – infants, children, young adults, and seniors.