LEWISTON – Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice has announced that space is still available in the hospice volunteer training program that is scheduled to begin Jan. 24. The 27-hour training will be held over a five-week period from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the agency’s office, 15 Strawberry Ave.

“Volunteers are critical members of the hospice team, offering needed support for patients at the end of life and for their families,” said Nancy Greene, Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice volunteer supervisor. Greene said hospice volunteers are needed throughout Androscoggin, Franklin, Oxford and northern Cumberland counties.

Participants will discover the world of hospice through discussion, speakers and skill-strengthening activities. The course explores a range of topics, including hospice philosophy, pain management, communication, spirituality, grief and bereavement, and the role of volunteers.

To be a hospice volunteer, a person needs to be nonjudgmental, warm, compassionate and a good listener. A volunteer must also respect confidentiality and be able to provide his/her own transportation.

Participants are asked to make a commitment of volunteering two to four hours a week for a year with AHCH. All prospective volunteers are interviewed before acceptance into the program.

For more information, call Greene at 1-800-482-7412 or 777-7740. For more information on the agency, visit www.AHCH.org.