Veronica – vaccination volunteer and bereavement services volunteer, Royal Free Hospital Veronica first joined our team of volunteers as part of the Hampstead Gown Factory project last summer, helping in the cutting room to make PPE for the hospitals. Since retiring at the end of last year, she has continued as a volunteer with the charity in other roles– while also volunteering with FEAST, a charity which makes meals for those in poverty! Veronica now volunteers for at least one session a week at the vaccination centre at the Rec Club as well as two sessions a week at the bereavement office at the Royal Free Hospital, either helping to answer the phones and explaining to families how to register a death or leading a new project to send condolence cards to families. Here, Veronica shares her experiences of volunteering with us in her many roles: I have always done a lot of volunteering over the years, partly through the City investment bank where I used to run the corporate social responsibility programme and was involved in East London and Camden schools but also at the Olympics, which was fantastic. When the pandemic happened, I was furloughed from my charity job, hated being stuck at home and wanted to help, so when a friend suggested the gown factory project, I signed up and cut endless pieces of fabric for the PPE we were making – it was great fun, very well organised and I enjoyed it hugely.
At the vaccination centre, I volunteer as a marshal or on the reception desk and it’s great to feel helpful and part of the team. It was then decided to invite volunteers back into other areas of the hospital, including the wards and the bereavement office and although I wasn’t sure about the latter, I decided to give it a go. The bereavement service is an unusual service which aims to build better links with families who have been bereaved. We send a card the week after the person dies – which is the bit I do – and a few weeks later a member of staff contacts the family again to offer further support. I feel part of the team even though I am only there twice a week. People have been very helpful and nice to me. What I get out of it is feeling that I’m doing something useful and valuable and being able to meet and talk to other people – and getting out of the house!
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Sue - ward volunteer, Barnet Hospital Sue is a long-standing volunteer and has returned to the wards at Barnet Hospital twice a week as a dementia companion and a virtual visiting volunteer. She helps patients with dementia by providing companionship, cups of tea and raising the mood on the wards with music and pampering . She also helps patients to contact their loved ones via video calls on the ward’s iPad. Here, she shares her experience on returning as a volunteer for these specific roles: I walked into the main entrance of Barnet Hospital wearing my purple uniform to find my fellow meet and greet volunteers replaced by gentlemen clad in high-vis vests, smiling and handing out masks and checking paperwork. My route to the ward took me past the charity office, which was all in darkness with the security grill down. It did feel a little lonely, where was lovely Louise, delectable Diana, and zany Zoe? Then a nurse walked by and said cheerily, “Oh good, are the volunteers back? That’s great.” So, with my spirits lifted I proceeded to Larch Ward where I got a wonderful greeting from Ward Clerk, Dillon and Doris, the dementia facilitator, who I was there to help. Whoosh, I was back and fully engaged! It was so wonderful to talk and listen to patients and staff. We put on some Frank Sinatra songs in one bay and when an elderly lady who was quite ill started singing along, it really was a moment to remember. Doris and I painted fingernails, combed hair and gave out cups of tea. I came away after that day full of energy, so uplifted and full of admiration for all the hospital staff. Later that week I was back on the wards as a virtual visitor, trying to help connect patients and their families via phone or video call. It was so heart-warming, very moving and it left me feeling full of joy – there were many poignant moments. It was challenging to get my head round the technology of Zoom and FaceTime on the iPad, but practise makes perfect, and I’m getting more confident with each visit.
I was very aware of the importance of hygiene at all times. And realised how hot it gets wearing a mask, visor, and full scrubs. How nurses and doctors have coped with it day after day, month after month on long shifts, I do not know. Well, I bow to them all and thank you for allowing us back in to help. |