The ABC’s of Bereavement Volunteers

The ABC’s of Bereavement Volunteers
The ABC’s of Bereavement Volunteers presented at the NHO Conference by Christine Osborne, Bereavement Coordinator, Hospice of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minn.
Christine came in to run this bereavement program from the world of funeral service. The question that she faced was how the program was going to best serve high risk families. She was challenged by the vagaries of funding for bereavement programs on the part of Medicare, and she knew that she would have to use volunteers. She looked around for resources on how to set up a volunteer program in bereavement and could find no organized approach. She had to improvise.
Over the next year she put together what materials she could find, and developed the program. Remarkably, 6 of the first volunteers she trained are still with her! The training acts as a first step to introduce volunteers to bereavement work, but it is also a screening process so that volunteers can either align themselves with the work, serve in a lesser capacity, or leave gracefully.
Christine observes closely. By the time the volunteer training is over she knows who has the capacity to work in bereavement. Motivation and commitment are the two things that she really looks for. There is an element of inherent talent and compassion in this work, but there is also need for responsibility. The grief process may go on for years. It is best if one volunteer can be with each client to see the process through.
Christine works in an area where her clients are relatively isolated and/or in nursing homes. Transportation, getting them to and from group meetings etc., is the biggest challenge. One solution to this is the Lunch Bunch, a group of widows and widowers who get together regularly to share experiences, feelings, problems or… just have fun. This program started with a group of six women, with Christine taking them to lunch in a different place than where they would normally go with the emphasis on socializing as single-again people. The only problem is that the program has gotten too popular, there are now 6 groups! They meet quarterly, and the members know that they can attend as they please. A core of regular attendees usually develops, and the groups require very little facilitation. Christine may ask an occasional question to get conversation going, but by and large, the regular attendees are willing to help newer members and carry the meetings. The members are disappointed about only meeting quarterly, but most volunteers are not comfortable with transporting people and this is the limiting factor. The quarterly visit allows Christine and her staff the opportunity to keep tabs on the bereavement clients.
In her work, Christine has developed training exercises in phone interaction, handling “problem situations,” role playing, and an entire methodology which can be useful to anyone who is setting up a volunteer program. She has a wealth of experience in this field which she shares with enthusiasm. It is obvious that this is what has made her program grow.