Home Health & Hospice of Dickinson County Welcomes New Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, Taylor Knauss.
BY: Haley Jones, Director of Marketing and Development
Home Health and Hospice of Dickinson County (HH&H), an affiliate of Memorial Health System (MHS) is proud to announce the promotion of Taylor Knauss to their department, as the new Hospice Volunteer Coordinator.
Taylor first started with Memorial Health System at Learn & Grow Depot in 2017. For those who may remember, MHS once had a child development center, among the many lines of business that they operate, which closed in 2019. Taylor returned to MHS in December of 2022 working at Heartland Health Care Clinic as a Receptionist.
As a person who strives for personal growth, and always looking for new ways to challenge herself, Taylor took the opportunity to do just that when she saw an open position for the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator. “Hospice has always had a special place in my heart ever since we utilized the services for my own grandparents,” she said. “My nana was a Registered Nurse for 40 years, and then she became a hospice volunteer. I remember hearing her talk about it; it was something she really loved doing. My mom is also a huge advocate for hospice. I felt pulled to apply for this position to try and make a difference in our community and also to help me grow in my own career within Memorial Health System.”
Taylor’s first day as Hospice Volunteer Coordinator was October 14. She jumped in headfirst and began learning all she could about the hospice program. After a month in, she has a great handle on things and she is enthusiastic about the opportunities to enhance the hospice program. Communication between herself and the volunteers, and the rest of the staff at HH&H, is something she wants to work on first. “I am focusing on bridging the gap between clinical staff and the volunteers, and I feel like my position is the bridge. Hospice volunteers hold a very special place in our program. Sometimes they are with our patients more frequently than our staff, and they are another set of eyes on the patient who can give a good report.”
Another order of business that Taylor is working on, is to get an executive board created from the current hospice volunteers that would mirror the MHS Volunteer Services program at the hospital. Creating this board may take a little time. While Taylor has a list with 34 hospice volunteers on it, there are only about 10 of those volunteers who are actively participating in the program on a regular basis. Many of the volunteers on her list have been part of the program for quite some time, so an important first step in the process is to talk to each volunteer and find out their status. Which brings up the next order of business; volunteer recruitment. Taylor plans to make herself known in the community. If there is an opportunity for her to share information about the hospice program with the community, then she will be there.
Hospice volunteers play a crucial part in the overall success of the Hospice Program. Without volunteers, there would not be a program. The nature of this type of volunteering involves special training. Death is a very natural thing. Everyone will experience losing a loved one at some point, and everyone will experience his or her own death someday, but the “business” of death isn’t for everyone. It is a very challenging topic to navigate, and training is necessary for volunteers so that they feel comfortable in their responsibilities. Taylor explained, “The training is a two-day session. The first day consists of more stuff on online; videos to watch, things to read, answer questions, etc. The second day is in-person training. The volunteer will have a chance to meet a variety of HH&H staff. Essentially, it will feel like a small orientation.” Volunteers are required to attend six meetings a year. The meetings will introduce new topics in the hospice volunteer world, and brush up on anything that needs refreshing. Not only is this important as far as compliance goes and staying up with regulations that HH&H have to adhere to, but the existing volunteers have voiced to Taylor that they want the information.
The responsibilities of a hospice volunteer may vary. There are three types; indirect, direct, and bereavement volunteers. “We have indirect volunteers who come in to the office and help us with clerical work like filing; mailing bereavement letters and sympathy cards, data entry, basically anything you can do in an office setting relating to the patient will count for volunteer hours,” Taylor described. Medicare requires that volunteers must work 5% of the total patient care hours to stay within regulations and obtain certain reimbursements. It’s worth mentioning again, without volunteers, there would not be a Hospice Program.
Taylor then described the responsibilities of a direct volunteer. “Direct volunteering is when you actually visit the home or facility and provide care and support to the patient. Sometimes respite care is needed for the caregiver to take care of themselves. The volunteer may sit with the patient and read, watch TV, or just be a friend. As a direct volunteer you may run errands for the family or help with other tasks like housekeeping and cooking. These day-to-day tasks can be difficult to get done when the first priority is taking care of a loved one.”
Bereavement volunteers are also direct volunteers. HH&H offers bereavement support for a year after the passing of a patient. “We are there to provide companionship and support to the loved ones.” Life can look different when a person is no longer present. When a person who was once relied upon is gone, the living still have to live, and figuring out how to manage day-to-day life can be a challenge. “Our social worker on staff offers support through our GriefShare program as well.”
Taylor appeared highly motivated in her new position as the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator. She has a big job ahead of her, but her determination, compassion, and need for a challenge will surely bring much success to her and the Hospice Program. HH&H is fortunate to have her.
If you have an interest in becoming a hospice volunteer, but you have more questions, Taylor would love to talk to you! She can be reached at 785-263-6630 extension 6403. Otherwise, you can find the application on the MHS website: https://mhsks.org/hospicevolunteers/ and get started on your journey to become a hospice volunteer today
