Local Respite Care Organizations in Need of Volunteers

Update: My mom informed me yesterday that my grandpa will be going into hospice care this Friday, it was a very hard decision for her but she doesn't want to see him suffer anymore.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and most notably, the staff at Unity Hospice. Their office covers 17 counties over northern Illinois. Jeni informed me that they are always searching for amazing volunteers. In an email to me, she says,

"It takes someone very special, with a special loving heart, to volunteer to spend time with Hospice patients. At Unity, we strive to have a volunteer with every patient who is in need. Right now we have about 35% of our patients with volunteers so we can use some help."

If you're interested in volunteering for Unity Hospice, you can visit their website here.

Yesterday I received some horrible news about my grandfather, he's back in the hospital and he's experiencing renal failure; there's a very good chance that if dialysis isn't an option (because of his ongoing heart issues) then the next option is to keep him comfortable in hospice care until he passes.

It's something that he's been going through for years, especially around the holidays, and normally he pulls through so I was shocked to hear that this actually could be it. It's hard to imagine losing him, it's even harder knowing that I can't be there when the time comes.

Thankfully, he's surrounded by family and good people at his nursing home. Some of those people aren't even employees, they're volunteers; and when the time comes for him to spend his final days in hospice, I hope the people who chose to spend some time giving back to people like my grandpa (a Vietnam vet, proud business owner, a respected man in his community and a loving father and grandfather) take exceptionally good care of him.

If your resolution for the New Year was to give back, spend more time with others or just to be a better person overall, then I'd like you to consider volunteering for your local nursing home, hospice care facility or organizations like JourneyCare.

JourneyCare provides hospice and palliative care and their mission is to "help people facing serious illness and their families live life to the fullest, with dignity and without pain, on their own terms;" and according to WIFR, they're in need of volunteers in the Rockford area. There are a few different options for volunteering that include patient care and office work.

If you're interested in volunteering, they have a training opportunity coming up on February 8th at their Rockford office at 483 N. Mulford Road, Suite #1. For more information you can visit their website here.