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(Honesdale, August 18, 2005)…When asked why she became a volunteer with Wayne Memorial’s Hospice Program, Marie Doherty of Honesdale says simply,  “I felt as though God has been good to me. I felt I needed to give to somebody else.” After a year of working as a hospice volunteer, Doherty hasn’t looked back.  “It’s very rewarding to give a part of yourself to someone else,” she adds.

            Wayne Memorial’s Hospice Team needs more volunteers like Marie Doherty. The Home Health/Hospice Department is holding a training session for anyone interested in helping patients and their families deal with end-of-life issues. “A hospice volunteer is someone who is in touch with his or her own feelings about loss,” says Mary Owens, RN and Chaplain for WMH Hospice. “He or she should be able to understand—be very sensitive to—other people’s needs.”

             A hospice volunteer may be asked to help a patient who has difficulty walking or uses a walker. A volunteer may also be asked to run errands, prepare a meal or just spend time with a patient to give the patient’s fulltime caregiver a precious few hours off.

            “We do whatever we can. We’re there to listen. Sometimes, I’ll just sit with them,” explains Doherty, “The little things in life mean a lot to these people. I don’t do this for the recognition, but it makes me feel good.”

            Wayne Memorial’s next training session for hospice volunteers starts on Thursday, September 15, 2005 and runs from 6pm to 8pm.  The training runs for nine weeks. If you or someone you know is interested and is over the age of 18, please contact WMH Volunteer Services at (570) 253-8737.