Hospice volunteering can provide many benefits to the volunteer as well as to the hospice program. Identification of these benefits, which may be characterized as being of the body, mind, and spirit, is helpful in the recruitment of new volunteers as well as in the retention of current ones. It is important for hospice programs to find ways to assist volunteers to attain these rewards.

Maintenance of a healthy degree of self-esteem is essential to the goal of helping patients and their significant others to live as fully as possible. It is important for hospice caregivers to be aware of factors which tend to diminish self-esteem in hospice care recipients as well as in themselves. A knowledge of basic principles about self-esteem and the application of interventions based on these principles can aid in the preservation and enhancement of self-esteem in hospice caregivers and recipients.

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Burnout in hospice personnel may result in a significantly impaired quality of care. A search of the literature has been corn-bined with the results of clinical observations to identify a number of factors conducive to the development of burnout. It is suggested that consideration be given to examining the concepts of compassion, conviction, and commitment, and that appropriate interventions be implemented to prevent these requisites for quality caregiving from paradoxically becoming key contributors to burnout.