The HeartLink Program Connecting Faith Communities with Hospice of Holland
Hospice of Holland understands that churches play a vital role in our community providing spiritual care, social interaction and various levels of support. We believe that Hospice care is an extension of the churches’ role. The staff at Hospice has always considered what people experience at the end-of-life to be precious and holy, and we feel privileged to be impacting lives at this sacred time. This is why we consider ourselves a ministry. The primary objective of the HeartLink Program is to identify and train one or more members of a church who will serve as Hospice representatives within their congregation. Representatives will maintain close contact with leaders and members within their congregation and convey the needs of the church family to Hospice. HeartLink Representatives will also communicate the other services that Hospice provides, such as bereavement programs for children, teens and adults; and be a resource for Sunday school and adult education programs on various topics related to death, dying and grief. The main goal for this program is to serve more people facing end-of-life challenges for an appropriate length of time. Responsibilities of a HeartLink Representative
- Is an active member of the congregation and has a “link” with congregational care team/office
- Embraces the Hospice philosophy
- Understands the Hospice program and is willing to communicate it effectively to the church community
- Acts as a liaison between the congregation and Hospice of Holland
- Becomes a resource for Hospice services, programs and support groups
- Coordinates educational opportunities with groups/individuals within the congregation
- Keeps the congregation informed of Hospice of Holland happenings Qualifications of a HeartLink Representative
- Compassionate, caring and empathic
- Good listening skills
- Ability to work with people of diverse cultures
- Community oriented
- Self-motivated
- Creative thinker/Ability to think “outside the box”
- Has not recently suffered a major loss/not in an early stage of bereavement How can I become a HeartLink Representative?
Hospice of Holland offers training sessions in the spring and fall for people interested in becoming a HeartLink representative. The initial 4-hour training covers general Hospice services and will prepare the HeartLink Representative to understand and embrace their role as the “link” between Hospice and their congregation. After the initial training, representatives are invited to attend short meetings every other month to learn about relevant, Hospice-related topics, as well as share ideas with other HeartLink representatives. Once trained, the representative is invited to participate in the Hospice Orientation Program (HOP), to get a more comprehensive understanding of Hospice of Holland. This training is not required, but it encouraged. To become a HeartLink representative, please contact Hospice of Holland at 616.396.2972 and ask to speak to a member of the Marketing Team; or Contact Us. HeartLink Mission:
To partner with local faith communities in an effort to ensure the highest quality end-of-life care to the greatest number of people.
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