Volunteer Voices September 2020
This is your news e-bulletin from Voluntary services which will help us to keep in touch with you, and show you all the amazing activities that our volunteers are doing here at KMPT. Here at KMPT, we are very proud to have an army of volunteers who allow us to provide additional support for our patients and their families.
- Publication date:
- 03 September 2020
- Date range:
- September 2020 - Ongoing
Your ‘home from hospital’ volunteering opportunity
We are excited to share with you our new volunteering role! We have been thinking about introducing this role for a while, but COVID-19 has made us see the true value in developing this and other new volunteering opportunities.
When patients are discharaged, they often go back to an empty house and can feel quite lonely and isolated. This, naturally, can cause a relapse of symptoms. We are therefore looking for people to become ‘home from hospital’ volunteers.
You will visit the patient whilst they are on a ward for a couple of weeks before they are discharged. This will help you build a friendship with each other which will help you both when they are discharged. This is when you will be able to visit them at home and in their community to help them with small tasks, go to medical appointments, get out to support groups or simply enjoy a cup of coffee together. It may also involve helping them cook simple meals. Anything that will help them lead an independent life and build their confidence.
You would be a befriender for the client for approximately three months – it is important they do not become dependent upon support and can lead an independent life, so this time limit is important. If this is something you would like to be part of then email us on kmpt.voluntaryservices@nhs.net