Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sept. 15, 2025 – Emmanuel Hospice is looking for volunteers in the greater Grand Rapids area to provide companionship and support to patients.

The organization is in particular need of patient/family support volunteers in the northern regions of the metropolitan area, specifically Belmont, Greenville and Sparta. Volunteers with pets are also needed to join the nonprofit’s popular pet visitor program.

“Emmanuel Hospice relies on the generosity of volunteers to uplift the quality of life of our patients and their loved ones,” Volunteer Coordinator Holly Salas said. “Our volunteers bring compassion and joy to our patients during a particularly difficult time. By providing a peaceful presence, companionship and laughter, volunteers help make hospice more about living.”

Patient/family support volunteers help enhance patients’ quality of life through one-on-one conversation. They spend time listening, reading, sharing positive memories, capturing patient life stories and more at the bedside.

Volunteers who participate in the pet visitor program are first trained as patient/family support volunteers, in addition to having their pet certified as a companion animal. Pet visitors and their human companions are specially trained and selected to match each patient’s specific needs, energy level and abilities.

Emmanuel Hospice makes all the arrangements needed for a pet to become certified as a pet visitor on the volunteer’s behalf and covers the certification cost. The process involves documentation of current wellness exams and vaccinations as well as three observation visits.

Other volunteer roles involve making bereavement calls, supporting office needs, assisting with community outreach, knitting and card-making. A veteran-to-veteran program is also available for veterans and active-duty service members to support patients who share the common thread of military service.

“I’m passionate about matching the unique skills and interests of prospective volunteers with the right opportunity,” Salas said. “You’ll be set up for success with all the training you’ll need and an assignment tailored to your strengths. If you have any interest in volunteering, I encourage you to reach out for more information.”

Individuals who are interested in volunteering must first undergo a criminal background check and screening for tuberculosis before receiving training.

An in-person orientation to onboard new volunteers will be offered from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the nonprofit’s Grand Rapids office. The event will include a thorough introduction to Emmanuel Hospice and its volunteer roles, policies and procedures. Alternatively, a hybrid option including an in-person meeting and self-paced online course is also available.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering and wants to learn more is encouraged to email EHvolunteer@EmmanuelHospice.org or call 616.719.0919 and ask for Holly. More information about volunteer opportunities can also be found at EmmanuelHospice.org/volunteer.

About Emmanuel Hospice

Emmanuel Hospice is an interfaith provider of compassionate, person-centered hospice care to patients and their loved ones in West Michigan. Serving the community since 2013, the nonprofit draws on a team approach that focuses holistically on mind, body and spirit, working to enhance each patient’s life with a combination of expert medical care, spiritual counseling and complementary therapies and services – because hospice is more about living than dying. Emmanuel Hospice has expanded to serve all of Kent and Ottawa counties and portions of Allegan, Barry, Newaygo, Ionia, Montcalm and Muskegon counties. For more information, visit EmmanuelHospice.org.

Palliative (pal·li·a·tive), noun: a medicine or form of medical care that relieves symptoms without dealing with the cause of the condition.

That sounds like hospice, right? Well, yes and no. While they share similarities, hospice care and palliative care aren’t one in the same.

“Hospice is always palliative, but palliative care is not always hospice,” says Emily Page, a nurse practitioner with Emmanuel Hospice. “Both focus on symptom management, but hospice care is more comprehensive while palliative care tends to be more consultative.”

With professional experience in both palliative and hospice care, Page is well-versed in where the two overlap and differ. She says the main distinctions lie in the breadth of services that are covered and a patient’s goals and eligibility.

“To be eligible for hospice, you have to have a prognosis of six months or less of life and a goal of treating symptoms over curing your condition,” Page explains. “By contrast, palliative care also treats symptoms, but it can be utilized for patients who are still having active treatments to cure a disease.”

For example, when working for a palliative clinic, Page would commonly see people actively receiving chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis or surgical procedures to treat cancer, advanced stages of COPD, chronic heart conditions or heart failure.

Page says a big focus of palliative care is having “goals of care” discussions with patients facing serious illnesses or chronic conditions.

This involves exploring what matters most to the patient in terms of their well-being, discussing prognosis and treatment options and facilitating decision-making. Palliative care providers are adept at monitoring changes in a patient’s condition and adjusting care plans for evolving goals.

“Palliative care programs can bridge the gap between patients who may be medically appropriate for hospice but not yet goals-of-care ready,” Page says. “In those cases, when a patient decides they don’t want to pursue curative treatment anymore, their palliative care team can shift them into a hospice program.”

It can work the other way around, too.

“If a patient enrolls in hospice and later finds a new clinical trial, they could be referred to a palliative program, which would walk alongside them while they’re actively seeking treatment.”

Coordination of care between multiple specialists, Page says, is another aspect of palliative care that can be helpful.

“Palliative care professionals specialize in putting everything together,” Page explains. “When you go to the hospital, you may be seeing three or four specialists who all have different treatment plans that don’t always work together. That’s where palliative care can come in and determine what the patient’s ultimate goals are to help the different specialists better align.”

Similar to hospice, there are different types of palliative care programs out there, Page says, so services can vary, and it is consultative in nature. Hospice, on the other hand, is a specific Medicare benefit that provides a more comprehensive approach to care through holistic, team-based services for both patients and their families.

“Palliative care can be really helpful for improving quality of life while pinpointing when a patient is appropriate for hospice and starting those discussions early,” Page noted. “Palliative care should not be seen as a replacement for end-of-life care when patients meet both goals of care and eligibility requirements.

“When considering between the two, I recommend taking the time to ask your provider questions to fully understand your options and choose the path that is best for you and your goals.

For more information, call 616.719.0919 or visit EmmanuelHospice.org.