EvergreenHealth Hospice and Palliative Care is looking for volunteers in King and Snohomish counties to join its team of compassionate individuals who provide comfort and assistance to hospice patients and their families.

Applications are currently being accepted for upcoming volunteer training, to be held Oct. 18, 19 and 26 at the Gene & Irene Wockner Hospice Center in Kirkland.

Volunteers who attend this three-day, comprehensive training will learn about the circumstances facing hospice patients and their loved ones, as well as acquire practical and emotional tools they can use to feel confident about offering patients and families assistance.

“A volunteer’s presence and companionship can make a huge impact on patients, and is also a great assistance to hospice staff and caregivers,” said Criss East, EvergreenHealth Hospice Care volunteer coordinator. “Volunteers are truly integral members of the hospice team, and the work they do is very necessary and much appreciated.”

Hospice volunteer duties are varied, but can include running errands, playing games, listening to a person’s life story, reading or singing with them, playing or listening to music, or simply watching TV with a patient, as well as assisting with reception desk duties, bereavement phone calls and general office support.

Assignments are flexible, and volunteers can work with EvergreenHealth’s Hospice and Palliative Care to find opportunities both in the field — such as at a patient’s home, or a nursing home — and in EvergreenHealth’s Hospice Center.

Those interested in becoming an EvergreenHealth Hospice and Palliative Care volunteer should visit www.evergreenhealth.com/volunteer to learn more, or contact Criss East at (425) 899-1049 or cmeast@evergreenhealth.com.