I would like to volunteer
Penn Medicine Hospice Volunteer Opportunities
Community Volunteer
The Community Volunteer is a kind, caring helper for patients in hospice and their caregivers. They work with the hospice team to offer emotional support, companionship, and simple help to people facing a serious illness.
What Community Volunteers Do
- Spend time with patients through talking, reading, playing games, or quietly sitting with them.
- Give caregivers a short break by staying with the patient.
- Help with small, non‑medical tasks like writing letters or organizing photos.
- Respect each patient’s wishes, culture, and values.
- Share any concerns with the hospice team to keep everyone safe and supported.
What Makes a Good Community Volunteer
- Kind, patient, and a good listener.
- Keeps information private and respects people from all backgrounds.
- Reliable and able to keep healthy boundaries.
Why This Role Matters
Community Volunteers help patients feel less alone, bring comfort during the final stages of life, and support families during a very difficult time.
Bereavement Volunteer
The Bereavement Volunteer is a kind, caring supporter for individuals and families after the death of a loved one. They offer comfort, understanding, and connection to help people through grief. Bereavement Volunteers work with the hospice team to provide emotional support during a very difficult time.
What Bereavement Volunteers Do
- Make friendly phone calls to check in, listen, and offer comfort.
- Serve as Bereavement Buddies by spending time with grieving individuals to reduce loneliness.
- Help lead grief support groups by creating a safe, caring space for sharing.
- Listen with empathy and allow people to grieve in their own way and time.
- Share any concerns with the hospice team to ensure proper support.
What Makes a Good Bereavement Volunteer
- Kind, patient, and a good listener.
- Comfortable talking about feelings and loss.
- Respects privacy, boundaries, and all cultures and beliefs.
- Reliable and supportive without trying to “fix” the grief.
Why This Role Matters
Bereavement Volunteers help grieving individuals feel less alone and more supported. Their presence brings comfort, connection, and hope as people learn to live with loss and begin healing.
Administrative Volunteer
The Administrative Volunteer is essential in supporting the behind-the-scenes operations that keep the hospice program running smoothly. This role is perfect for individuals who enjoy organization, communication, and helping teams deliver compassionate care.
What Administrative Volunteers Do:
- Clerical Support: Assist with filing, data entry, preparing mailings, and organizing patient charts.
- Reception & Office Assistance: Answer phones, greet visitors, and provide general office support.
- Weekly Check-In Calls: Make friendly, non-clinical phone calls to patients or caregivers to offer support, confirm needs, and provide reassurance.
- Event Support: Help plan and coordinate special events, fundraisers, and community outreach programs.
- Marketing & Community Engagement: Assist with creating flyers, newsletters, and social media content to promote hospice services.
- Education & Training Support: Prepare materials for volunteer training sessions or community education programs.
- Special Projects: Participate in seasonal initiatives, donor appreciation activities, and other creative projects.
What Makes a Good Administrative Volunteer?
- Organized and detail-oriented.
- Friendly, professional, and welcoming.
- Strong communicator.
- Reliable and dependable.
- Flexible, team-oriented, willing to assist with a variety of projects.
- Adapts to changing needs.
Why This Role Matters
Administrative volunteers free up clinical staff to focus on patient care while ensuring the hospice program runs efficiently. Their contributions strengthen community connections and enhance the overall experience for patients and families.
Administrative Volunteer by Stefanie Wilson
Creative Hands Volunteer
- Knitters & Crafters: Create handmade blankets, shawls, or other comforting items for patients to provide warmth and a sense of care.
- Letter Writers: Send thoughtful notes or cards to patients and families, offering encouragement and connection.
- Cake Bakers: Bake cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, or special occasions, helping families celebrate meaningful moments.
- Legacy Work Volunteers: Assist patients in creating memory projects such as photo albums, journals, or recorded stories to leave for loved ones.
- Art & Music Volunteers: Share artistic or musical talents to bring joy and relaxation to patients, either through live sessions or creating personalized pieces.
What Makes a Good Creative Hands Volunteer?
- Compassionate individual who enjoys sharing their creativity in ways that make others feel cared for and remembered.
- Creative and talented.
- Compassionate and thoughtful.
- Detail-oriented.
- Reliable and committed.
Why This Role Matters
Creative Hands volunteers help bring warmth, joy, and personal connection during a deeply important time in a person’s life. Their talents create opportunities for celebration, reflection, and lasting memories, helping patients preserve their legacy and families cherish meaningful moments together. Creative Hands Volunteers make a lasting impact that extends far beyond the gift itself—they provide comfort, dignity, and love when it matters most.
Vet To Vet Volunteer
The Vet‑to‑Vet Volunteer offers companionship and understanding to hospice patients who have served in the military. By sharing the bond of military service, these volunteers provide comfort, respect, and emotional support during end‑of‑life care. They work with the hospice team to honor each veteran’s experiences, values, and service.
What Vet‑to‑Vet Volunteers Do
- Visit veteran patients to offer conversation, companionship, and a listening ear.
- Connect through shared military experiences and understanding.
- Take part in recognition activities, such as pinning ceremonies, to honor service.
- Support legacy work by listening to and preserving military stories and memories.
- Show respect and support to families by acknowledging the patient’s service.
- Share observations or concerns with the hospice team to support quality care.
What Makes a Good Vet‑to‑Vet Volunteer
- A veteran who values service, respect, and camaraderie.
- Kind, patient, and comfortable listening to personal stories.
- Honors privacy, boundaries, and emotional needs.
- Dependable and able to work as part of a care team.
Why This Role Matters
Veterans often feel most understood by someone who has shared military life. Veteran‑to‑Veteran Volunteers help reduce isolation, validate life experiences, and bring comfort and peace by ensuring each veteran’s service is recognized and honored.
Hospice Holistic Volunteer
The Holistic Volunteer brings comfort and calm to hospice patients and their caregivers through gentle, non‑medical therapies. They help create peace and relaxation by supporting the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. Holistic Volunteers work closely with the hospice team to honor each patient’s wishes and comfort needs.
What Holistic Volunteers Do
- Offer complementary therapies such as gentle touch, music, meditation, Reiki, or aromatherapy.
- Help reduce stress, anxiety, and discomfort for patients and families.
- Create a peaceful environment that supports comfort and well‑being.
- Adjust care based on each patient’s preferences and tolerance.
- Share observations or concerns with the hospice team for safe, supportive care.
What Makes a Good Holistic Volunteer
- Calm, compassionate, and respectful.
- Trained in one or more holistic or complementary practices.
- Listens closely and follows patient wishes at all times.
- Maintains privacy, boundaries, and cultural sensitivity.
Why This Role Matters
Holistic Volunteers help patients and families feel more at ease during end‑of‑life care. Their gentle presence can bring moments of peace, comfort, and connection when they are needed most.
Pet Therapy Volunteer
The Pet Therapy Volunteer brings comfort, joy, and emotional support to hospice patients and their caregivers through the special bond between people and animals. By visiting with a certified therapy animal, these volunteers help create calm, connection, and moments of happiness during end‑of‑life care. They work closely with the hospice team to ensure visits are safe, meaningful, and guided by each patient’s wishes.
What Pet Therapy Volunteers Do
- Visit patients with a certified therapy animal to provide companionship and comfort.
- Help reduce stress, loneliness, and anxiety through gentle interaction.
- Create positive moments that can spark memories, smiles, and emotional connection.
- Support families by bringing warmth and calm into the care environment.
- Follow all safety, hygiene, and hospice guidelines during visits.
- Share any concerns or observations with the hospice team.
What Makes a Good Pet Therapy Volunteer
- Compassionate, patient, and attentive to patient needs.
- Has a certified therapy animal with appropriate training and temperament.
- Respects boundaries, safety rules, and patient preferences.
- Reliable and able to work as part of a care team.
Why This Role Matters
Pet Therapy Volunteers offer comfort in a unique and powerful way. Their presence can ease loneliness, lower stress, and bring peace and joy to patients and families during a very tender time.
Spiritual Support Volunteer
The Spiritual Support Volunteer is a calm, caring presence for hospice patients and their caregivers. They offer comfort by listening, praying, or simply being with people as they face serious illness and the end of life. They work closely with the hospice team to honor each person’s beliefs, values, and spiritual wishes.
What Spiritual Support Volunteers Do
- Spend time with patients by listening, praying, reading scripture, or sitting quietly.
- Offer faith‑specific support when requested, such as prayer or religious rituals.
- Support caregivers by providing spiritual comfort and encouragement.
- Respect each patient’s beliefs, culture, and personal meaning.
- Share concerns with the hospice team to support safe and respectful care.
What Makes a Good Spiritual Support Volunteer
- Compassionate, calm, and able to listen without judgment.
- Respects all faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds.
- Keeps personal information private and honors boundaries.
- Works well with the hospice care team.
Why This Role Matters
Spiritual Support Volunteers help patients and families find comfort, peace, and meaning during a very emotional time. Their presence reminds people they are not alone and that their beliefs and values truly matter.
Personal Care and Grooming Volunteer
- Provide hair care services such as shampooing, trimming, styling, or grooming, consistent with state cosmetology laws.
- Provide basic nail care, such as filing, shaping, polish, and applying lotion, within permitted licensure boundaries. Personal care volunteers do not trim toenails of diabetic or high‑risk patients.
- Only volunteers who hold the appropriate state licensure perform personal care and grooming services.
What Makes a Good Personal Care and Grooming Volunteer?
- Ability to combine technical skills with compassion, professionalism, and a desire to serve others during a meaningful stage of life.
- Respectful of personal dignity and privacy.
- Patient and adaptable, recognizing that each patient’s needs, preferences, and energy levels may vary from day to day.
- Dependable and professional, arriving on time, following hospice policies, and maintaining appropriate boundaries.
- Licensed and skilled in providing grooming services, when applicable, and committed to working within their scope of practice and state regulations.
- Comfortable working with individuals facing serious illness.
Why This Role Matters
Camp Erin Philadelphia Volunteer
Camp Erin® Philadelphia is for children and teens ages 6 to 17 who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Led by licensed social workers and counselors, Camp Erin is a free weekend program that provides a caring environment where kids can explore their grief, learn essential coping skills, and make friends with peers.
Camp Erin takes place in Montgomery, PA every June. It includes traditional camp activities—arts and crafts, sports, games, and campfires—as well as bereavement support activities.
Interested in volunteering at Camp Erin? Check out the roles we need assistance with. You must be 18 or older to apply. Volunteer training takes place over the course of two Saturdays: one in April and another in May. Learn more about Camp Erin by watching the video below!
***Please note that we are NOT currently interviewing applicants at this time, all are welcome to apply but any applications submitted will not be reviewed until December 2026.
Mission Statement
Our Mission
Compassion. Comfort. Presence.
Hospice care is specialized support for people facing a serious illness, focusing on comfort, dignity, and quality of life rather than curative treatment.
It helps patients manage symptoms—such as pain, breathing difficulty, or anxiety—while providing emotional, spiritual, and practical support to both the patient and their family.
Hospice care is about honoring each person with dignity, support, and peace.
Hospice care is provided wherever the patient lives—a home, a hospital, or a nursing facility— and uses a team approach that includes nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides, volunteers, bereavement counselors, and physicians.
Our volunteers play a vital role in ensuring patients and families feel valued, supported, and never alone. As a hospice volunteer, your presence can bring calm, connection, and kindness during life’s most meaningful moments.
Volunteer With Penn Hospice Today:
