hospice volunteering

I recently saw an ad on boston.craigslist.org about volunteers needed to be Vigil Volunteers, those who sit with hospice individuals in their active stages of dying. I inquired about doing this kind of work but didn't hear back, which I'll admit was a bit of a relief.

I recently read a front-page New York Times article about such volunteers (though for a different organization): I didn't think of the fact that the volunteer also works with the family in those trying times. It's one thing, though a big "thing," to sit alone with a patient at the end. But to also help and console the family members adds a whole other layer onto the work.

I'd still like to learn more, but in the end I don't think I'll be mentally and emotionally strong enough to commit to this kind of volunteer work. Petting shelter cats and washing shelter puppies might be the most intense work I can manage. We'll see how it goes.