What you should know…
AccentCare strives to provide excellence in end-of-life care for patients and families. AccentCare has developed several specialty roles that allow volunteers to utilize their own strengths and interests. This offers a meaningful and rewarding volunteer experience and enhances the quality of life for our patients and families.
The first time Allyson Schiller walked through the doors of AccentCare’s Milton Hospice Inpatient Center (IPC), she was preparing to say goodbye to her mother. Today, she works there as a hospice volunteer.
Allyson’s journey began when her mother, Dilys, was in hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. Meanwhile, she was quietly facing a serious health challenge of her own, and she carried a private worry: Would she be able to keep the promise she made to stay by her mother’s side until the very end?
As she and her family navigated those difficult days, AccentCare’s Hospice team provided more than just medical care. They created an environment where Allyson didn’t have to manage every detail and could focus on what mattered most — being a daughter.
“I got to be my mom’s baby girl again.”
When the Hospice team learned Dilys had served in England’s Royal Navy, they found a way to honor her service and celebrate her life. Most importantly, Allyson says, they cared for the entire family, not just her mother.
“They weren’t treating a diagnosis. They were honoring a remarkable life.”
After her mother’s death, Allyson found herself reflecting on the extraordinary support her family received. She realized hospice care isn’t only about helping patients. It’s about supporting spouses, children, caregivers and loved ones through one of life’s most difficult journeys.
“I was gobsmacked by the care. They’re everyday heroes. Their capes are care.”
From grief to giving back
She was inspired to provide that same comfort to someone else, and that led her back to AccentCare — this time as a volunteer.
Allyson now serves families who experience the same emotions and challenges her own family faced. She understands how powerful it is to have someone show up with compassion, empathy and a willingness to help.
Hospice volunteers matter
Volunteers are a vital part of hospice care. In fact, Medicare-certified hospices are required to incorporate trained volunteers into their programs because of the meaningful impact they have on patients and families.
Volunteers provide human connection. For patients, that could be conversation, reading or simply having someone sit quietly at their bedside. Family caregivers are given an opportunity to step away to run an errand or take a quick break.
The seemingly small acts of volunteering can add up to make a huge impact. “I want them to be able to be the spouse again,” Allyson says. “The daughter. The son. The person who loves them.”
Now, every time she walks through the doors of Milton IPC, she has the opportunity to be that reassuring presence for someone else.
AccentCare’s volunteer program does not end at the death of a loved one. Volunteers also participate in the ongoing bereavement support services that families receive for the thirteen months following a loved one’s death, in conjunction with a dedicated team of grief counselors, social workers, chaplains and music therapists.
“You don’t have to be a nurse to make a difference. Sometimes just being there is enough.”
Today, there are nearly 1,000 AccentCare Hospice volunteers nationwide who offer a wide range of skill sets. From administrative tasks to companionship, keepsake-making, reading, and playing music, volunteers contribute their time and talents to bring comfort and support to patients, families and caregivers.
If you’re looking for a meaningful way to serve, hospice volunteering may be the opportunity you’re seeking. Visit AccentCare’s volunteers page.
You may also like
