; Be a Friend
Volunteers are critical to Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County.
Hospice regulations require that at least five percent of our working hours come from specially trained volunteers. The more than 100 people who help us out do so much more than simply meet the minimum.
Patient and Family Volunteers become close to a Hospice family. They sit with the patient when a caregiver needs to be away. They provide companionship and may help with small household tasks or run errands. Many of them are the loved ones of former patients, helping other Hospice families just as volunteers helped them. Patient/Family volunteers complete a 25-hour training course.
Bereavement Volunteers provide support and companionship to Hospice families following the death of a loved one. They make phone calls to check in with grieving families or friends and mail information about upcoming support groups or services. Some volunteers facilitate support groups, while others help grieving children at our Camp 4 Seasons. Volunteers complete the 25-hour Patient/Family training course and additional training in the unique needs of bereaved individuals.
Administrative and Maintenance Volunteers spend their time in and around the office. They may answer phones, file or help with mailings. Others complete small fix-it jobs needed to keep the building in tip top shape. These volunteers complete a four-hour training course.
Hospice Helpers support Hospice in various ways, from staffing fund-raisers helping with fund raisers or mailings and other Hospice events.
Hospice has volunteer training sessions twice a year. If you would like to learn more about becoming a Hospice Volunteer, contact
Volunteer Coordinator Kendall Drexler at (607) 334-3556.
Ann Hammerslag
Everyone has a story, and that includes each of our valued Hospice Volunteers. This particular Volunteer was raised in Queens and made her way to Bainbridge via Arizona and California. Her name is Ann Hammerslag and she’s a retired Department of Treasury employee. Following the death of three close relatives, including her Mother, who used Hospice services out of the area, Ann says she wanted to “give something back.” So, she took the 23 hour patient/family Volunteer Training Course two years ago. However, some physical limitations, and further reflection prompted her to switch into the role of Administrative Volunteer.
Ann and her husband Chuck moved upstate six years ago to be close to their now fifteen year old granddaughter, and only grandchild, Meredith. Ann says she doesn’t really miss anything about urban living. “Of course, there was a lot of variety in the city, but you know, this area is no slouch when it comes to things to do.” A classical music fan, she has attended performances at Colgate, SUNY Oneonta, and Cornell. She also notes that while other people in their seventies are downsizing, she and Chuck are upsizing. City living necessitated a home of only 1,000 square feet, but in Bainbridge the Hammerslags have more than doubled that. Ann is excited to have “closets galore, a guest room, and a designated room for my stuff.” Some of that stuff includes quilting supplies. Ann became a quilter in 1990, the same year that her Mother died. “The first quilt I ever made,” she says, “was for my Mother. I’m just happy she was able to use it before she passed away.”
Ann helps Hospice by taking over receptionist duties when our Administrative Assistant is away. She also has helped with office mailings and the Spring Plant Sale. If you’d like to become a Hospice Volunteer please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Kendall Drexler at 334-3556. She runs spring and fall training classes.