Hospice volunteers are an integral part of VITAS’ Innovative Hospice Care, allowing VITAS Fort Worth to continue personalizing, enhancing and expanding services offered to patients and families. Possible hospice volunteer opportunities in Fort Worth include:
 
Administrative Volunteers
Administrative volunteers promote hospice care by helping with office mailings, maintaining patient records, filing, computer assistance, answering phones and assisting with various program operations. VITAS volunteer orientation is provided free of charge to help you learn the skills required to be an outstanding administrative volunteer. Time and dates are ongoing and flexible.
 
Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per week 
Location: VITAS offices; visit our locations page for more information.

VITAS Inpatient Hospice Unit Volunteers
VITAS volunteers give their time to terminally ill patients and their families at a critical moment. There are a variety of tasks at an inpatient hospice unit. Volunteers may choose to visit with patients and families, serve and feed patients at mealtime, read books, write letters, play games, offer spiritual support, or help with administrative duties. The unit is open 24 hours, seven days a week. 
 
VITAS provides free volunteer orientation on how to work with people at the end of life.
Volunteers are trained in listening skills, family dynamics and the right words to say to terminally ill patients and their family caregivers. Assignments are made according to the volunteer’s work and family schedules.
 
Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per week
Location:  Local IPUs; visit our locations page to find an IPU near you.

For more information, contact your local VITAS office, or sign up to be a volunteer today!

Memory Bear Crafter
VITAS’ Memory Bear volunteers make home-sewn bears with compassion and love to ease a hurting heart after the death of a VITAS patient. The bears are sewn from items of the patient’s clothing: a favorite pair of jeans, pullover top, dress, bathrobe, nightgown, etc. A Memory Bear may recall the closeness of a loved one, bring a smile to someone in distress or offer a sense of security to a child who feels alone after the loss of a grandparent, parent or sibling.
 
The fabric is provided by the family; the pattern, support and stuffing are provided by VITAS. The creativity is provided by the Memory Bear volunteer. Bears can be made in the volunteer’s home or at the VITAS office.

Volunteers should have a desire to use their talents or hobbies to make a difference in someone’s life. Must have sewing tools: sewing machine, needles, etc. No professional experience is necessary, but creativity is a plus.
 
Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per week
Location: Your home

VITAS Paw Pals Volunteers
Does your pet enjoy people? Would you like to bring joy to others in a fun and simple way? VITAS invites you and your pet to become Paw Pals and visit VITAS patients. Pets provide friendship and show unconditional love to hospice patients. Patients who have had to give up their pets miss the interaction and devotion. Your visits leave behind memories of you and your pet and rekindle thoughts of other pets. All kinds of pets are invited to join VITAS’ Paw Pals Club.
 
VITAS Volunteer orientation is provided free of charge to help you learn the skills required to be an outstanding VITAS Paw Pals volunteer. You and your pet will also need to pass a pet screening session. Time and dates for both the orientation and pet screening are ongoing and flexible.

Learn more on our Paw Pals page.
 
Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per week
Location: Varies

VITAS Telephone Assurance Program Volunteers

VITAS is looking for caring individuals to share their voice and time as Telephone Assurance Program (TAP) volunteers to help terminally ill patients and their families. TAP is a program in which in-home hospice patients (and their family members) receive “check-in” phone calls by VITAS TAP volunteers.  
 
VITAS volunteer orientation is provided free of charge to help you learn the skills required to be an outstanding TAP volunteer. Time and dates are ongoing and flexible

Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per week 
Location: Your home
 
For more information on VITAS’ Fort Worth volunteer opportunities, call 817-870-7117