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7/11/2005 - Valeri Cowart: Handling Hospice's Most Valuable Asset
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Richard Nieves or Nancy Kucik Alacare Home Health & Hospice 4752 Highway 280 East Birmingham, AL 35242 Phone: 205.981.8000 or 800.852.4724 Fax : 205.981.8743 E-mail: Richard.Nieves@alacare.com Handling Hospice’s Most Valued Asset Volunteer Coordinator Valeri Cowart encourages community members to join statewide effort Birmingham, AL– In 2004, more than 64 million Americans volunteered their time and energy at least once. In Alabama, Alacare Home Health & Hospice’s award-winning volunteer program serves an integral role in the company’s continual commitment to the highest quality service, and the in-house Hospice Volunteer Coordinators oversee some of Alacare’s most vital resources. With enough committed, caring volunteers, Alacare is able to extend its reach across the state, within homes in small towns and large, on weekdays, holidays, nights and weekends. A new addition to the Alacare volunteer effort is Valeri Cowart, who serves as the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator for the Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Jasper, Cullman, Decatur, and Huntsville branches. Previously serving as a volunteer coordinator at a homeless shelter in downtown Birmingham, Cowart has taken on the position at Alacare with intensity and enthusiasm. “I find it inspiring to work with people who volunteer to help those in need,” she affirmed, “and it is an honor for me to play a small part in facilitating their altruistic efforts. It is very touching to hear patients talk about what a difference a volunteer has made in their lives.” For Cowart, the primary work of a volunteer is companionship. “Volunteers become a part of the family,” she asserts. In addition, volunteers’ assistance ranges from fundamental, everyday chores like fixing doors and lights to administrative assistance, spiritual support, or seasonal opportunities, including preparing mementos, cards, and gifts for special occasions. Volunteers can be of any age, she reminds, adding, “We’ve had a high school group deliver fruit baskets to patients and a kindergarten class make Memorial Day cards for our veterans.” Likewise, because of the wide range of support for which volunteers are always needed, they can be flexible, arranging their volunteering schedule to suit everyday time constraints. Most importantly, she notes, “Volunteers help make a patient’s last months of life a time of caring and sharing.” In her future work with Alacare’s volunteers, Cowart hopes to expand the program’s reach not only through the number and diversity of local volunteers but also through the services they offer. For example, she notes a particularly memorable volunteer trip she took: “I recently had the privilege of delivering a birthday cake and card to a hospice patient who had breast cancer. The patient loved the attention and was very grateful for the visit. Seeing her eyes light up was inspiration for me to do more of this type of outreach.” Cowart would like to assemble a team of “birthday volunteers” to make what is often a hospice patient’s final birthday as special as possible. Additionally, she is exploring emerging areas of therapy, such as music, massage, and pet therapy, in which seasoned professionals would be an especially vital and useful addition to Alacare’s volunteer effort. Facing challenges that include widespread geography and an ever-growing need for volunteers, Cowart is optimistic. She concludes, “We are always open to ideas about ways our community can assist our patients.” About Alacare Home Health & Hospice Alacare Home Health & Hospice is Alabama's oldest and largest privately owned home health agency. Since 1970, Alacare has provided patients throughout North and Central Alabama quality home healthcare, including hospice and palliative care, diabetes education, rehabilitation services, wound care, nutritional services, and infusion therapy. Alacare employs experienced healthcare professionals dedicated to home care. Through continuing education requirements, employees are informed of the latest developments in quality healthcare to ensure patients receive the best care possible. A family-owned and employee-owned business headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Alacare is dedicated to providing homebound patients the most professional skilled nursing care available.
