Volunteer in hospice care
Provide comfort and support to patients and families receiving care from Hospice of the Central Coast, part of Montage Health. You’ll play a key role in a team offering personalized end-of-life care in your community.
Training and education
Before you start volunteering, you’ll complete a general orientation and a short hospice-specific orientation to:
- Understand hospice care, and our philosophy
- Meet our team
- Learn how to offer grief support
- Identify what’s important to patients
- Build listening and communication skills
- Determine when you’re ready to volunteer
Throughout your time as a volunteer, you’ll receive ongoing support and education from staff, volunteer mentors, and a variety of community experts.
Volunteer opportunities
After the general training session, choose to volunteer in the area that’s closest to your heart:
- Bereavement services – Give one-on-one support to patients and families, make bereavement phone calls and visits, and, with additional training, facilitate grief support groups
- Complementary therapy – Provide massage therapy to patients in their homes
- Ask us about other services you may have credentials in
- Patient companion – Visit patients in their homes or nursing facilities to offer companionship, play music, or read with patients expected to live one year or less
- Vigil service – Sit by a patient's bedside or hold a vigil in the last 24-to-48 hours of life
Opportunities with specialized training
Tell us if you’re interested in one of these volunteer areas that require additional training:
- Administrative assistance – Support our staff in a variety of projects
- Bereavement group facilitation – Work in pairs to lead support groups with guidance from professional staff
- Vigil service – Sit by a patient’s bedside or hold a vigil in the last 24 to 48 hours of life
Apply to become a Hospice volunteer
Please note on your application form that you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Hospice of the Central Coast.
Apply here
If you have questions, call (831) 649-7750.