April is National Volunteer Month - SpecialtyRx
April 30, 2019
April is National Volunteer Month

Experts say the value of SNF volunteers is highly underestimated

Celebrate NVM with the full lowdown on free labor

Did you know that April is designated as National Volunteer Month? Most Americans don’t. The fact is, the people who donate the most time, consideration and compassion osten go unappreciated. But in long-term care, their value is immeasurable.

Across the nation, people imagine ‘volunteers’ to be old retired folk looking to fill their time with arts and crasts or aster-school programs. But in reality, these selfless individuals come from all age groups and walks of life. In our partner facilities, volunteers are typically the opposite of seniors: they come from high schools, colleges, churches, synagogues, and families throughout our greater communities.

April is National Volunteer Month

 

The gist of time

In honor of National Volunteer Month, SpecialtyRx encourages our partners to celebrate the altruistic individuals who help keep operations humming all year long. Showing your thanks is an excellent start. But you can keep the party going this month (and beyond) by exploring new ways that volunteers bring value to people’s lives.

Joni Reed, author of The Billion Dollar Miracle, is an advocate for volunteerism in hospitals and other public health settings. In addition to engaging residents and deepening employee satisfaction, she says a creative group of volunteers can also save operators a whole lot of money.

“If I told you that you could invest a one-time $100,000 and receive $1 million in return, you would jump at the chance, right?” she asks. “That’s exactly what your volunteer program is capable of, except your investment is actually zero dollars and only your support, encouragement and recognition is required.”

So remember to respect your volunteers, consider their opinions and commend their efforts. With a little collaboration, the benefits are yours.