Self Regional Healthcare in South Carolina, the United States, is widening its volunteer services to patients, their families and the hospital’s growing staff.

More volunteers allow staff to spend more time caring for the patients. Personal attention is important for the patients and their families.

Volunteers now include corporate executives, management-level staff and supervisors, as well as widows and widowers, stay-at-home moms, part-time caregivers, recovering patients and others. They include those with high-tech skills who bring a variety of important skills to the hospital. As health care changes, so does the need for advanced skills in volunteers.

To meet the needs of volunteers, flexible schedules can be arranged and replacements located to fill in when necessary. Volunteers can come in once a month to once a week, from four hours to eight hours a day, or more. Volunteers can work early in the morning or later after lunch.

People who enjoy daily walks can help by delivering medications to cancer patients. Those who like to work with families can assist in the outpatient surgery area, keeping families updated. Volunteers can read to a patient or visit a patient that has no visitors.

People with organizational skills and who like special events might want to help with fundraisers.

One volunteer has been at the hospital for 36 years and continues to come in at 6:30 a.m. every Thursday.