Hospice bedside companions — someone stays

Where we provide hospice bedside companions

In the hospice:

Most hospices in Berlin (Ricam Hospiz, Hospiz Schöneberg-Steglitz, Hospiz Wilmersdorf, Christophorus Hospiz, Lazarus Hospiz and others) have their own structures of volunteer companions. We come in addition — often for clients who wish for continuous company, which goes beyond what the volunteer service can offer.

On the palliative ward:

We come into the hospital, in coordination with the nursing team. We are not a competing service — we relieve the nurses by providing the one-to-one presence that is seldom possible in the routine of a ward.

At home:

Many people want to die at home — and can, if the family manages to organise it. We often come for the night hours, for the weekends, for the stretches when the family itself feels the exhaustion.

What hospice bedside companions do (and do not do)

They do:

stay awake, observe, speak quietly, read aloud, keep silent, hold a hand, moisten lips, be still. They call the family when it is time. They call the palliative team when the symptoms change.

They do not:

adjust pain relief (the doctor does that), carry out nursing in the narrower sense (the care service does that), or offer comfort that rings false. They do not talk about religion unless the dying person begins it. They do not weep aloud when what is called for is holding steady.

What sets our staff apart in this work

Hospice bedside companionship is a particular task. We deploy colleagues who:

• have experience of the dying phase (a hospice placement, nursing experience, training in bereavement support).
• are calm, genuinely calm — not silent out of uncertainty, but quiet by disposition.
• have worked through losses of their own, so that it is not their grief filling the room.
• do not become agitated by the bodily changes of the dying phase.

Accompanying someone as they die is not work for beginners. We assign it only to experienced staff.

What hospice bedside companions cost

Bedside companions at the end of life often fall within days that are already expensive, in a phase that is already expensive. We charge a reduced end-of-life rate, below our standard — we give you the exact sum for a night shift or for company over several days in the first talk.

Night supplements (25 %) and Sunday and public holiday supplements (50 %) under § 3b EStG are shown transparently.

Frequently asked questions

• Can you come into the hospice even though there are companions there already?

  Yes — in agreement with the hospice team. We see ourselves as an addition, not a replacement. Often we bring additional presence in the last 24 hours in particular, because volunteer companions are not available continuously.
• How quickly can you come once it becomes clear that the end is near?

  With 24 hours of notice, yes. In genuinely acute situations (a matter of hours) we try, but we cannot always guarantee it.
• Do your staff talk with the dying person about death?

  Only if the person raises it themselves. We listen. We do not initiate subjects we cannot judge.
• Can you also help after the death?

  If it is wanted, we stay for the first hours after the death. We help to call the doctor to certify the death, we are there for the family, and we hand over to the funeral director. For bereavement support in the weeks that follow we refer you to specialist services.
• Are you familiar with different religious traditions?

  We respect every tradition. Where there are specific rites (the Muslim practice of washing by family members, Orthodox liturgies, the Jewish customs of shiva) we ask the family for clear guidance. We learn quickly, but we assume nothing.
• Can you also be there where dying has no religious dimension?

  Of course. Most of the deaths we attend are secular. We impose nothing religious on anyone who does not want it.