LEWISTON — Nine local high school students have graduated from Teens with Heart for Hospice, a volunteer program of Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice. They have joined four teens who graduated from the program in 2008.
The teens received 18 hours of hospice volunteer training and are now visiting patients in area nursing homes and the agency’s Hospice House in Auburn. The topics covered in classes included listening skills, the philosophy and art of hospice, family dynamics, life review and spirituality.
Nancy Greene, AHCH volunteer coordinator, and Anne Behnke, hospice and bereavement volunteer, led the training sessions. Hospice staff and volunteers provided instruction, and hospice volunteers mentor the teens. Two parent volunteers also participated in the training.
“The teens are enthusiastic. With their new skills, they are making a difference in the lives of hospice patients and their families. One patient recently told us that her teen volunteer visitors made her day,” said Behnke, who chairs the program.
Teens with Heart for Hospice will plan more training sessions in the future. For more information, contact Greene at 777-7740 or 1-800-482-7412 ext. 1281.