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Pet Peace of Mind: Become a Volunteer

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Thank you for your interest in becoming a Pet Peace of Mind (PPOM) volunteer at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine. You have an amazing opportunity to help keep hospice patients and their pets together during this critical time in patients’ lives and you may be surprised by how much you get in return. Through the PPOM program, we are able to provide essential services including pet food, veterinary care, grooming and more. Most of all, we are able to provide peace of mind when it’s needed the most.

Below are answers to common questions we receive about volunteering with the PPOM program.

Please be aware that there is currently a wait list for the PPOM volunteer program. We encourage you to click here for information on all available volunteer opportunities at SDHIPM.

What will I do as a PPOM volunteer?

  • As a San Diego Hospice PPOM volunteer, you will be part of the care team. You will have the option of delivering pet food, transporting pets to veterinarian and grooming appointments, walking dogs and more.
  • At training, you will have the opportunity to tell us which tasks you feel most comfortable with so we can make the best match for you.

What are the requirements for me?

  • You should be in good physical health, emotionally mature, stable, non-judgmental and have a sincere desire to help.
  • You will need to complete a volunteer orientation, a 1-day patient care volunteer training course, and a 2-hour PPOM Volunteer training module.

What is the time commitment?

  • We ask our PPOM volunteers to commit to 6 months of service with our agency.
  • The average weekly time commitment is 2-3 hours.

How do I get started?

Submitting an application is the first step to becoming a volunteer. You will be contacted upon receipt of your application to discuss orientation and training.

Once your application is received, we will contact you to discuss scheduling for orientation and training.

Are there other ways I can volunteer with San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine?

  • Absolutely, please click here for information on all available volunteer opportunities at SDHIPM.

Volunteers are vital to the hospice and palliative care concept and directly impact the quality of service provided to our patients and families, and we thank you for your interest. If you have any further questions please contact Volunteer Resources at 619-278-6451 or volunteer@sdhospice.org.