Hospice seeking volunteers

Buena Vista Hospice in Westlake Village is seeking volunteers to assist with terminally ill patients and their families.

Hospice is a philosophy, or place, that offers a program of palliative care (relief of symptoms but not a cure for the disease) and other emotional, spiritual and social support for the families and patients facing a limited life expectancy.

Hospice care began in the 1960s when Dame Cicely Saunders, a doctor, opened St. Christopher's Hospice in London, England. The first U.S. Hospice opened in 1974, and there are now more than 4,500 hospices nationwide.

Buena Vista Hospice provides care and support for terminallyill patients and their families in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Volunteer coordinator Glenys Bough, a British nurse for 25 years with extensive palliative and hospice care experience, oversees the recruitment, training and support of volunteers.

"Research shows that volunteering provides individuals with health and social benefits and an enhanced sense of purpose," said Bough. "People who volunteer have been found to have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression than those who do not."

At the hospice volunteers are given an initial orientation, indepth training and regular monthly educational and support meetings. Volunteers typically give a few hours a week to provide comfort and support in the patient's place of residence, or help in the office.

Volunteers must be 18 years old or older.

For more information about volunteer opportunities, call Bough (805) 777-1133 or e-mail Glenys@bvhospice.com. For more about hospice care, go to www.BuenaVistaHospicCare.com.