Our Face
It is above all the many volunteer hands and hearts that have given PALLIUM a face since it was founded in 2004. We are made up of people of the most diverse backgrounds and abilities, aged between 30 and 90, giving us a wide range of possibilities and life experience to respond to the needs and wishes of the people who wish to be accompanied by us.
Our Requirements
Everyone interested in accompanying seriously ill and dying people must complete a preparatory course lasting several months (six to nine months), attending regularly and bringing openness to the topics addressed.
Our Preparatory Courses
The preparatory courses are designed and conducted by the responsible coordinators of the Outpatient Hospice Service, based on a curriculum recognized for volunteer staff. In addition, speakers from specific professional disciplines are brought in. The course is structured so that units of personal biography work and self-exploration alternate with units of knowledge transfer.
All subject areas of importance when dealing with the dying and those close to them are covered, such as communication in its various forms, symbolic language, spirituality and religion, grief and grief reactions, dealing with resources, ethical questions, and more. Practical topics for interacting with the people being accompanied are also addressed, in order to ease uncertainties and fears. Every preparatory course always includes an observation placement in at least one hospice or palliative care facility.
The entire course serves to build trust and mutual familiarity, which forms the basis on which cooperation becomes possible in the first place.
We offer all volunteer staff the opportunity several times a year to take part in further training and supervision sessions led by external supervisors.
You can find the next scheduled dates for our preparatory courses under the “Events” section. If you don’t find a specific date there, we would be glad if you got in touch with us — we will then let you know as soon as a new course is taking place.
Our Assignments
All companionships are based on the principle of voluntariness — both on the part of those affected and of the volunteer staff. The nature and scope of a companionship are agreed upon between the volunteers and the people concerned.
All volunteer staff deployed are personally assigned by the responsible coordinators, following at least one preliminary conversation with those affected and their families, and are supervised throughout the entire course of the companionship in regular meetings. In this respect, the coordinators see themselves as “companions to the companions” and are available to support everyone involved with any questions throughout the entire process.
Our companionships are marked by a high degree of continuity, as the volunteers do not change during the course of the process. Should this ever become necessary, it is likewise done in close consultation with everyone involved.
There is a lot to do …
If we have sparked your interest in this responsible role, please feel free to contact us using the contact details provided. As soon as we offer a new preparatory course, we will inform you via our website and the press.
