Good Shepherd honors its volunteers during National Volunteer Week

VOLUNTEER LUNCH: Linda Davis, Ida Holmes and Billie Griffith,Granny's Attic volunteers for hospice, enjoyed a luncheon in their honor during National Volunteer Week. The luncheon was hosted on April 29 by Good Shepherd Home Health and Hospice Agency and Murphy Medical Center.

National Volunteer Week was April 27 through May 3 and Murphy Medical Center and Good Shepherd Home Health and Hospice Agency honored its patient care volunteers who bring compassion support and friendship to those facing a life limiting illness.

This year, the hospice staff nominated Betsy Lewis for the Judith Lund Person Hospice Volunteer Award. This award is given annually by The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care to the most deserving hospice volunteer in North Carolina. While Betsy did not receive this award, she was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation as being nominated among the many high quality nominations that were made. In the nomination letter for Betsy, Good Shepherd staff stated that Betsy volunteered more hours than any other patient care volunteer at the agency in the last year. The letter included a heart warming story of how Betsy left her own family and the comfort of her home on Christmas Eve to sit with a hospice patient while his family attended a very special church service.

AWARDED: Betsy Lewis, hospice volunteer, was nominated by the Good Shepherd Hospice Staff for the Judith Lund Person Hospice Volunteer Award.

Towanna Roberts presented the surprise nomination and certificates of appreciation to Betsy at a special luncheon which was also attended by the hospice staff and volunteer coordinator.

Hospice and palliative care volunteers bring companionship to people in the final months and weeks of life, respite to families and caregivers, and support in fundraising and administrative efforts by hospice care providers. These dedicated volunteers are integral members of the interdisciplinary team of professionals who provide care at the end of life.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reports that there are an estimated 400,000 hospice volunteers providing more than 16 million hours of service to hospice programs each year. Many people become hospice volunteers after experiencing firsthand the compassionate care hospice provided to a dying loved one.

Here in Cherokee and Clay County, seventeen volunteers provided 6,620 hours last year to help Good Shepherd Home Health and Hospice care for patients and families in our community. All of the hospice volunteers, Granny's Attic volunteers and Murphy Medical Center volunteers were honored with a special luncheon at Murphy Medical Center on Tuesday April 29 at the Nursing Home Dining Hall.

Towanna Roberts RN, Good Shepherd Manager stated, "Hospice volunteers play an indispensable role in enabling Good Shepherd to offer the best care possible to people in our community."

"Volunteers bring compassion, caring and love to patients and their families who are going through one of life's most difficult times," commented Ida Staffford, Hospice RN Coordinator. "We are grateful to our volunteers during National Volunteer week and every week, and pleased that this celebration of volunteering allows us to remind everyone that hospice and palliative care volunteers are angels working among us."

It is federally mandated, under Medicare, that five percent of all patient care hours be provided by trained volunteers. This regulation was included in the Medicare hospice legislation to maintain the important role that volunteers play in hospice philosophy of care. Hospice began in this country about 30 years ago as a largely, volunteer-driven community movement. To this day volunteers continue to be at the heart of hospice.

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