Lopez Hospice is training volunteers

Lopez Island Hospice and Home Support, Inc. is offering a training course for new volunteers beginning Oct. 31.

Interested persons can pick up an application form at the Lopez Clinic, Lopez Library, or the Hospice office in the village. Applications must be completed and returned by Oct. 15. A free public orientation session for those interested in taking the training will be offered on Oct. 9 at the Lopez Library.

The first class of the training series will be on Oct. 31 from 6–9 p.m. Trainees are expected to attend all classes, which run through Nov. 15. Teaching the training will be Patty Taylor Richards, Volunteer Services supervisor at Seattle’s Providence Hospital, as well as other guest teachers.

Now in its sixth year, Lopez Hospice has 47 associate and direct care volunteers placed with 36 clients. The majority of care is in the form of home support, although services continue to expand and now include palliative care (pain-free care for the end of life).

“We are serving more people in more ways than ever before,” said Mary O’Bryant, case manager. In fact, the Hospice board recently decided to hire a project manager to help juggle the organization’s growing workload (see classified ad in The Islands’ Weekly).

O’Bryant said Hospice services are not “one size fits all” but are coordinated to each client’s needs.

If islanders are surprised to learn how much Lopez Island Hospice and Home Support, Inc. has grown, one of the reasons for that might be the commitment to privacy and confidentiality espoused by every volunteer. “We have a low profile, and that’s a good thing,” O’Bryant said.

The other reason you may not hear much about Lopez Hospice, except during annual funding campaigns, is that everything runs so well. It was founded and continues to be run by a dedicated, experienced board that oversees compassionate and sensitive volunteers.

When hired as case manager in May 2002, O’Bryant said, one of her first priorities was to develop a working relationship with the network of paid caregivers on the island. She estimated that half the new clients she sees in the “intake” process (or their family members) are given a list of the experienced local paid caregivers. Some of the caregivers attend Lopez Hospice case conferences to discuss their mutual clients. “Their input is invaluable,” O’Bryant said.

In recent months, several members of the board have been tested by health problems of their own or in their families, and some have been away from the island. But the organization continues to roll along, again thanks to careful planning and the dedication of volunteers.

The Lopez Hospice annual community Remembrance Service will be held on Sept. 27, 2 p.m., in Grace Episcopal Church to honor those who have died in the past year.

For more information, call Lopez Hospice at 468-4446, or visit www.lihhs.org.