Hospice in Southeast is struggling with a volunteer shortage three years after opening

The multicultural hospice in Zuidoost has been in existence for three years now, but there is a demand for volunteers and patients. On average, three of the five beds are filled and the number of volunteers has also decreased from 45 to 13.

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Corona has cut it quite a bit in this organization. A large part of the volunteers left during the corona period for fear of becoming infected. Residents, as the hospice refers to patients, stayed away because during the corona period there were such strict visitor rules that people were afraid of having to die alone. New registrations to fill the hospice are slowly getting started again.

Multicultural

Three years ago it hospice in the former daycare center and community center on the Kelbergen in Zuidoost. Nurses Darian Julia and Wendy Venetiaan, who both worked in home care, decided to open the hospice after seeing often distressing situations in the elderly.

The focus was also on offering a place for people from different backgrounds. Everyone should be welcome. “We take into account everyone’s culture, background and lifestyle,” explains Wendy Venetiaan. “So if someone comes to lie here, we take into account as much as possible what they are used to doing or what they like.”

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an extra step

The door is therefore open to people who want to end their last phase of life with loving care. The hospice needs a lot of help from volunteers who provide this care. The number has decreased, but volunteer Jenny has been there since the opening. “Some people have none at all,” she describes her experience. “Those are things that you take an extra step for those people. After all, you are there for them. Then I think: that’s why you do it.”

The hope is now that the number of residents and volunteers will increase, now that the heaviest corona period seems to be behind us. The hospice is ready and Jenny would like to see more help at her side again. “I like doing it, that’s why I say we should have a lot more,” she says. “We could really use a lot more volunteers.”

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