Experience the rewards of volunteering

Pemi-Baker Community Health offers training via ‘Zoom’ in the comfort of your home

PLYMOUTH — With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering are enormous to you, your family and your community. Giving time to others can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide sense of purpose.

Pemi-Baker Hospice volunteers come from a variety of professional backgrounds and represent many of the 22 towns that PBCH serves. Many volunteers have had a personal experience with someone who has benefited from all that hospice offers and have a strong desire to give back to other families in their community.

Hospice volunteers help our families in a variety of ways: reading to patients, writing letters for them, relieving family caregivers, light house-keeping, helping with outside chores, walking the dog or cooking meals. No amount of time is too small; some volunteers give 1-2 hours per week, some give 1-2 hours per month.

When asked what motivated you to become a hospice volunteer? J.W. answered: “When it became obvious my father was in the final months of his battle with cancer, we knew we would need the help of hospice. The respectful care, compassion and dignity that hospice provided for my father was amazing. They laughed with him, listened to his concerns and made sure he felt as comfortable as possible. Most importantly, they valued him as a person and ensured that his transition was as he would want it. Not only did they care for him, but they helped me make peace with what was happening, and provided me with as much information as I wanted as to what to expect in the process. I had never realized how much hospice does to support a person and their family, and I was incredibly humbled by it. I knew that when I felt ready, I wanted to offer whatever help I could to support families who are going through this.”

Our FREE training is done remotely via Zoom. Participants meet 2 hours a week on Tuesday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. or 4-6 p.m. depending on the participants’ schedules. The 5-week training is led by Alyx Balkwell, PBCH Hospice Volunteer Coordinator. Think you might be interested? Contact Alyx by calling or emailing PBCH for more information.

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PBCH is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org Visit our website: www.pbhha.org and like our Facebook Page: @PBCH4