Kindred Hospice, located in the office suite next to Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital, opened its doors in November and is now looking for some volunteers. The team of caregivers assists patients in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Schuylkill counties.

"Volunteers are vital to the program and who we are as hospice," said Rachel Rembrandt, the spiritual care and volunteer coordinator.Hospice is "about their needs. It's about life and hope," she said. "We live until the last minute. We are here to help the people live their life."Rembrandt said they are looking for volunteers who will show compassion for the patients and their families. An important aspect of hospice is respite care, which gives family members caring for the patient an opportunity to have some personal time to take care of his or her own needs.And "it gives the patient someone else to interact with from the outside," she said.Volunteers are encouraged to help the patients do things they have always enjoyed doing. This could be crafts, painting, playing a game or putting a puzzle together. The point is to help them live every minute they have left.Training provided for volunteers lasts 12 to 16 hours, Rembrandt said. It's held in small groups and takes place at the location closest to the volunteers. But before the training, volunteers need to go through a background check and have a tuberculosis test done. Once that is completed, then they can get on a list for training. Anyone interested in donating some time is encouraged to call her at 610-377-5403. Volunteers always have 24-hour access to a Kindred Hospice staff member."They're not just dropped off into someone's home," Rembrandt said.If hospice is something that a patient or family wants to learn more about, Christina Dickhoff, executive director of Kindred Hospice, can answer their questions. She said Kindred Hospice works as a team with the patient and his or her family, and primary care and specialist physicians. Patients don't have to switch over their care to the attending physician for hospice, and they can choose how often they want visits from hospice."The family feels, maybe for the first time, they are in control," she said.Patients can register for hospice care if their physician has told them they have six months or less to live. The cost is covered by Medicare and provides prescriptions, equipment and supplies related to the diagnosis. Medicaid will also cover the cost completely if it is listed as the primary coverage.People come into hospice and different stages of their illness and at different stages of their dealing with it, Rembrandt said. Some come in near the end of their illness. Some come in at the beginning, especially if they have chosen not to pursue medical treatment."Some people don't go through denial," she said, while others do.For those who haven't come to terms with it, Dickhoff said, "Maybe they've been in the fight for so long and then all of sudden the doctor says there's nothing else we can do. The family members may know there isn't anything left to do, but the patient doesn't want to give up."In those cases, the patient might be willing to get more information about hospice for the sake of their caregiver. That's when hospice will do an information session with the patient and family."We live differently. We die differently," Rembrandt said.Kindred Hospice also extends to the family through bereavement care for 13 months after the patient has passed away.