What does a Hospice Neighbour do?
Our Hospice Neighbours are matched to a patient in their local community. They offer social and/or practical assistance through regular or one off visits. Some of the things you might do include:
- Dropping in for a cup of tea and a chat
- Helping with the shopping, light housework or gardening
- Sitting with someone to allow a family member to go out for a break
- Driving someone to an appointment
They do not provide clinical or personal care.
What skills and qualities are we looking for?
If you have good listening skills and enjoy interacting with people we'd love to hear from you.
What hours can I volunteer?
We welcome any amount of time you can give us. Some of Hospice Neighbours volunteer one hour a week, others might offer more. We can work with you on what time you can spare.
Visits will take place at a mutually convenient time with the patient which may be morning, afternoon or evening. This can be fitted in around your work and other commitments.
Where do we need volunteers?
We need Hospice Neighbours across the Bristol area, but we are currently particularly looking for people in Hanham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Knowle, Brislington, Whitchurch, Bishopsworth, Clevedon and Nailsea.
What will I gain?
We want you to gain something positive from the time you generously donate to us. Our volunteers often tell us they:
- Benefit from using their skills and experiences
- Get to meet a wide variety of people
- Have a sense of giving something back and contributing to the lives of our patients and families
What training will I be given?
We provide full training and support is always available. We pride ourselves on looking after our volunteers.
Anything else I need to know?
Our new Neighbour volunteers are required to carry out an enhanced DBS check, and you will need to be 18 years old and over.