Volunteers are involved in every aspect of the Victoria Hospice program as an essential part of our interdisciplinary team. Almost 500 people are active as Victoria Hospice volunteers, providing companionship and practical support to our patients and family members.

All volunteers complete 30 hours of classroom training followed by 15 hours of on-the-job training on our 17-bed palliative care in-patient unit. Victoria Hospice offers three volunteer training programs per year.  Read our volunteer commitment guidelines before applying, and then complete the volunteer application form.

Download Adobe Acrobat to view the volunteer application form

Hospice Palliative Care Unit Volunteers
These volunteers work alongside medical and nursing staff, counsellors and spiritual caregivers to provide the best possible care on our 17-bed pallaitive care in-patient unit. Volunteer shifts are typically three hours long, scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. seven days a week.

Community Volunteers
Supported by Home & Community Care nurses in partnership with Victoria Hospice, volunteers working in the community offer appropriate support, companionship or special skills to patients and family members.

Bereavement Support Volunteers
Volunteers carry a large part of the responsibility for bereavement support and provide regular contact, participate in various drop-in and formal support groups, and facilitate our well-known bereavement walking groups.

Program Enrichment Volunteers
Volunteers also take part in a wide variety of activities to support clinical care and allow patients and families more choices. These include educational activities, maintenance of the Victoria Hospice rooftop garden or sharing a wide range of special skills with patients and family members. Such skills include massage, Reiki and other healing modalities, expertise in helping with writing memoirs or creating reminiscence books, etc. Volunteer skills and interests are recorded in a database so that special requests from patients or families can be met.

In addition, volunteers are also an integral part of fundraising activities at Victoria Hospice, playing an essential role in the Victoria Hospice Thrift Boutique, at special events, supporting the Victoria Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation team, providing community education and public relations support through the Speakers Bureau, and  so much more.
 

Contact Volunteer Services at Victoria Hospice:
Mailing address:
Victoria Hospice Volunteer Services
3rd floor ~ Richmond Pavilion
Royal Jubilee Hospital
1952 Bay Street
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
V8R 1J8

Telephone: (250) 370-8727                                         9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Monday to Friday          Fax: (250) 370-8625