Be all You can Be as a Veteran Volunteer (Bloomington)

VITAS wants to enlist your services to care for terminally ill veterans living at home and in nursing homes, assisted living communities and medical centers.

VITAS Veteran Volunteers may or may not be U.S. military veterans themselves. They are trained to meet the specific needs of terminally ill veterans living in their own homes, nursing homes, assisted living communities and veterans’ medical centers.

Our Veteran Volunteers visit terminally ill veterans; drive and / or accompany a veteran to appointments, shopping and other events; help a veteran apply for benefits or learn about available assistance; help replace lost or stolen military medals by contacting appropriate agencies; listen to life stories or record or videotape a veteran’s reminiscences; telephone veterans to ask how they are doing; attend or help plan activities celebrating Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day; educate veteran’s groups about hospice services by speaking at their meetings.

Volunteer orientation teaches the skills required to be a hospice volunteer. VITAS Veteran Volunteers are further trained to meet specific end-of-life needs of veterans to improve their quality of life. Time and dates are ongoing and flexible. Orientation and training to be a VITAS Veteran Volunteer is free.

Veterans enjoy receiving visitors-people who will listen to their fading memories and reminiscences. Some veterans need transportation to appointments, shopping and other events. Others need help applying for benefits or researching other kinds of assistance. VITAS Veteran Volunteers learn to help.

Show a veteran that he or she is not forgotten.

For more information about VITAS visit www.VITAS.com.