LAURINBURG — Volunteers gave Scotland Regional Hospice more than 2,500 hours of their time last year.
To show its gratitude Hospice treated its 35 patient care volunteers to a luncheon this week as a small way to say thanks for their efforts, according to Volunteer Coordinator, Bunny Hasty.
“April is volunteer appreciation month, and we really appreciate all of our volunteers for all they do for hospice and our patients. We couldn’t do our jobs without them,” Hasty said.
Hospice is required by Medicare to have at least a 5 percent volunteer rate, but Scotland County’s volunteers do more than just fill a numbers hole.
Hospice volunteers undergo 13 hours of training and 13 hours of continuing ed in order to serve patients and their families in their last days.
They go to homes, hospitals and nursing facilities and sit with terminally ill patients to comfort them and just be present when family cannot. Volunteers also visit the family during the bereavement period and make follow up calls and visits for one year after a patient passes away.
“They’re not babysitters. They form a relationship with the patients,” Hasty said.
Colon McArthur has given his time to hospice for over 20 years. He volunteers because he believes that no one should be alone in their time of death.
“I wanted to do something to be there in their time of need and when they’re passing on. I would hope someone would be there for me in my time,” McArthur said. “I think it’s sad when someone passes away without anyone around.”
Like many people who volunteer for a good cause, McArthur has gained something from giving.
“You can learn a lot about the process of death. A person near death will always tell the truth; they have no reason to lie,” McArthur said. “You also get to know the person and the family. You’re going to see that everybody is here for a purpose, and the purpose for me is to help people at the end of their life.”
Although volunteers must meet the same hiring criteria as anyone else at Scotland Healthcare System, they are not there to provide medical care for the patient.
Scotland County’s volunteers saved the hospice $137,406 in 2017 that can be reinvested into patient care and services, according to Hasty. To pay clinical counselors to do the same job would cost the organization more than $24 an hour.
Volunteers were treated to barbecue, potato salad, green beans and squash casserole and were given a potpourri bag with essential oil and a 30 minute hand massage therapy session.
Hasty also expressed her appreciation for Hospice’s 75 community volunteers who organize fundraisers for the facility.
