Bridge Home Health & Hospice, a non-profit organization providing home health care and hospice services, will offer training courses for prospective volunteers in Bluffton and Findlay.

The Bluffton training course will begin Tuesday, July 14. The training will be held at Bluffton Hospital in the Second Floor Conference Room, 139 Garau Street, Bluffton, and will take place for six consecutive Tuesdays from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The Findlay training course will begin Thursday, July 16. The training will be held at Birchaven Village in the HUB conference room, 15100 Birchaven Lane, Findlay, and will take place for six consecutive Thursdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Courses will cover the basic principles of hospice, understanding the needs of patients and their families, effective communication, patient care, pain and symptom management, spiritual care giving and understanding grief and loss.

No previous hospice experience is necessary; however, volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

Following training, volunteers can choose their area of involvement, such as caregiver relief, bereavement, hospice care center, nursing home visitors, gift of dreams or clerical work.

Pre-registration is required. For more information or to request an application packet, contact Julie Tiell, Bridge Hospice volunteer services coordinator, by phone at 419.423.5351 by e-mail at jtiell@bvhealthsystem.org.