Volunteer

MercyOne North Iowa Hospice Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are an essential part of the North Iowa Hospice team. They help provide many different services depending on the need of the patient or family.

What do Hospice volunteers do? Hospice volunteers can choose the type of work they want!

Patient care volunteers work directly with patients and families, primarily providing companionship and support. Some volunteers enjoy staying with a patient while the caregiver runs errands, attends activities or even takes a nap. They help when transportation is needed to grocery shop, go to various appointments or activities and sometimes just for a drive around the countryside or for an ice cream cone or cup of coffee.

Tuck in volunteers contact patients by phone at their home before the weekend to determine if they have any needs or concerns that can be taken care of during the week.

Bereavement volunteers support family members as they cope with loss, providing a listening ear during visits the year following a loved one's death.

Special project volunteers assist staff in the office with clerical activities, greeting visitors, answering the telephone, working in the gardens at MercyOne North Iowa Hospice, and with many office projects. Talents that are shared by volunteers are a gift to the families Hospice serves.

Who can become a Hospice volunteer?
Anyone who wants to be a part of the team that brings Hospice's "special kind of caring" to the people of North Iowa. Every volunteer brings a unique combination of interests, experience and talents to the Hospice program. Hospice volunteering can be scheduled in your free time. Whatever your talents, interests and skills, Hospice has a need you can fill.

How do I become a Hospice volunteer?
People interested in becoming a volunteer for MercyOne North Iowa Hospice must participate in a pre-screening interview and complete an application process that includes a background check. Additionally, a volunteer training class must be attended. Training sessions are held once a year in various parts of our service area.

Topics included in volunteer training are: Choosing Hospice Care, Understanding the Family, Spiritual Care, Communication, and Grief & Bereavement. Additional training is required for Bereavement. 

Become a Hospice volunteer!Volunteers are provided continuing education through inservices and newsletters. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or for more information, call: 641-428-6208/1-800-297-4719, or please click here to fill out a form. 


“Our employment should bring us personal satisfaction as well as monetary satisfaction. But when you volunteer for an organization that you believe in, your life has a new purpose and a much deeper meaning. I have always volunteered to help where I can but it is with Hospice that I truly can say that I have found a place where I can give of my time and talents and know in my head and my heart that the time I spend volunteering impacts patients and their families during one of the most difficult times in anyone’s life.”

“When I first decided to become a volunteer for Hospice, I thought about what I could do and give. Never did I imagine the feelings and giving I would receive.”

“Having a Hospice volunteer is a marvelous experience. They provide wonderful experience. I just can't believe it. I don't know what I would have done without Hospice.”

As a volunteer you give of yourself - your time, your skills or interests and your personality. But in return you get to know another human being, and that enriches your own life.

Volunteer Log Sheet