2011 palliative care volunteer graduates€¦ · volunteer activities 4‐5 ... reading jokes,...
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SWS LHD Palliative Care Volunteer Program
The SWS LHD Palliative Care Volunteer Service continues to grow from strength to strength. 22 new volunteers successfully completed the 6 week intense training program and have now settled in their roles in the hospitals and community. We now have 34 active palliative care volunteers in SWS LHD covering Liverpool Hospital, the Palliative Care Inpatient Unit at Camden and community from Bankstown to Bowral. We look forward to formally launching the program as a regular service at Bankstown Hospital in early 2012. This annual newsletter highlights the incredible contribution that our volunteers have made, thus maintaining an excellent palliative care volunteer service. High quality practical and emotional support to palliative care patients and carers remains their number one priority. I look forward to working with our dedicated SWS LHD palliative care volunteers and staff members in doing the very best we can to provide the support for palliative care patients and their loved ones at one of the most significant times in their lives. Arlene Roache SWS LHD Area Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator
About the program
2011 Highlights ‘At a Glance’
Page No
About the program 1
Hospital Palliative Care Volunteer Graduates
1
Awards & Recognition 2
National Palliative Care Week 3
Volunteer Activities 4‐5
Carers Events 5‐6
Statistics 6
Fundraising events 7
Farewells 7
List of Donors 7
Christmas Party/Appreciation Lunch
8
December 2011
2011 Palliative Care Volunteer Graduates
Christine Jones won the Palliative Care NSW Volunteers SupportingPalliative Care Award at the Gala Awards Dinner held on 29 May 2011.Christine has worked at Liverpool Hospital for six years. She chose to be apalliative care volunteer because she wanted to share her life experiencesand her gift with people during their final hours. She is disciplined, caringand compassionate and a true ambassador of the palliative volunteerservice.
Awards & Recognition
Christine Jones won the Supporting Pallative Care
Award.
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2011 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award
Our volunteers were invited to be part of the NSW Health Volunteer Appreciation Day on February 25 hosted by the General Managers Unit, Liverpool Hospital. They enjoyed a morning tea and certificate presentation.
This Award is run by the Centre for Volunteering to appreciate, recognise and celebrate the 2.4 million volunteers in NSW. It showcases active individual, youth, senior and corporate volunteers and volunteer teams who have shown dedication and initiative in their work and who have positively contributed to the not‐for‐profit organisation for which they volunteer. Peter Teng received the 2011 Sydney Outer West/Blue Mountains Highly Commended Volunteer of the Year Award for his outstanding commitment and dedication to his work as a volunteer and enriched the community in which he serves. Peter has given of his precious time for the past 4 years to spend with palliative care patients in Liverpool Hospital and in the community. He is a quiet achiever, consistent and his voluntary work has been integral to the provision of Palliative Care. Peter is extremely calm and always presents with a positive attitude. This has a great influence on the patients and their significant ones.
Peter is calm, understanding and
always presents with a positive attitude.
Page 3 of 9 National Palliative Care Week As part of National Palliative Care week all Australians were encouraged to have a 'chat about dying' with their loved ones and think about planning for the end stages of their lives. This is a National Community Education Initiative that is conducted annually in the last week of May.
Volunteers assist with promoting palliative care at Liverpool hospital, chatting to visitors, patients, families and friends, handing out flyers and brochures.
Students from Prairiewood High School perform for patients who attend the Day Centre at Braeside Hospital.
The Woodwind Quartet from Macarthur Anglican School not only
entertained the carers in the gardens of the Camden Palliative Care
Inpatient Unit during carers week held in October 2011 with their
relaxing music but also the patients who were unable to get out of
bed as the music gently filtered through to the wards.
Students Boris Tan and Christian Romano from Freeman Catholic
High perform at the Carers Event held in Mounties Community Club.
Volunteer activities at the Camden Palliative Care Inpatient Unit.
Apart from providing the emotional and practical support to the patients and their carers, decorating the unit for all the festivities, the volunteers also organise many activities here in the place they now call their second home.
Celebrating Palliative Care Carers in Macarthur
The volunteers arrived early to decorate the garden, set the tables and prepare for the BBQ. Carers were able to relax, rejuvenate and indulge in gentle back and shoulder massages, Art Therapy and Music Therapy. They not only enjoyed the activities, fresh air and sunshine, the Sausage Sizzle whilst sipping their fruit punch but were touched with the acknowledgement, warm smiles and kindness shown to them by the community, the volunteers and the staff.
Melbourne Cup Day at the Camden Unit
Patients, their loved ones and staff dressed up for the event hosted by the Volunteers. Robert Reeves, took time off from work to share the Melbourne Cup experience at the unit with his mum. Volunteers decorated cupcakes made especially for the day.
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Camden Day Therapy Centre
Volunteers continue to provide support in the Day Therapy Centre, playing scrabble, Wii, Sudoku, having fun doing puzzles and crosswords, reading jokes, listening to music, making cards, knitting and crocheting .
Pictured Above: Palliative Care Volunteers Luci Rossi & Margaret Fecht
Carers’ Events The volunteer program was successful in receiving a grant from the SWS LHD & S LHD Carers Program. Two carer events were held. The first carer event was held at St John's Bowling Club on 10/11/2011. The program included Art Therapy, a session on Relaxation and Laughter and a talk by Dr Frank Brennan on 'Storytelling and Your Role as a Carer'.
Dr Frank Brennan with carer Brian Waights
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Our Volunteers in Bankstown Hospital The pilot palliative care volunteer program commenced in Bankstown Hospital in November 2010 and concluded in June 2011 with Carol Farmer, Acting General Manager formally endorsing the program to commence as a regular service for Bankstown Hospital in early 2012. Feedback received highly regarded the program for the value it will bring to the palliative care patients in the hospital. Special thanks to Tricia Parker and Maureen Grimshaw for participating in the pilot project.
Statistics recorded in the year 2011 for the Palliative Care Volunteer Program indicate: 2933 palliative care visits to patients in hospital
256 palliative care visits to patients in community
A total of 2429 hours in face to face hospital/community visits
264 OOS in providing other services i.e. writing of bereavement cards for families of deceased palliative care patients, gardening, assisting with memorial services, carer events and fundraising initiatives.
The second carer event was held at Mounties Community Club on 30/11/2011. The program included a massage therapist providing gentle hand and neck massages. Participants gave positive feedback about all speakers using adjectives like valuable, enjoyable, useful, informative, practical and easy to understand. Some said they enjoyed the art therapy as its informal nature allowed for discussion with others in a less structured way. Participants enjoyed the laughter and relaxation sessions as it refocused on the positive.
Dr Michael Barbatos talks on 'Healing in the Face of Death'
Carers, staff and volunteers all rejuvenated at the end of the event
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FUND RAISING
Pictured below is Dr Jennifer Wiltshire
presenting Bonnie Harvey whose son was one of the
Lucky Raffle ticket winners
Volunteers raised a total of $3032 through fundraising initiatives i.e. Mothers Day Raffle and Christmas Stall. A total of $1436.00 received in donations.
The service farewelled
Beatrice AtwellJim Colvin Bonnie Harvey Maureen Grimshaw Tricia Parker Clara Kempers Renee Dever
Airborne Aviation Pty Ltd Bridge Climb Sydney Carmel Hawkey Dr Frank Brennan Franklins, Stockland Mall, Wetherill Park
Freeman Catholic College, Bonnyrigg Hoyts, Wetherill Park Jahnvi Singh Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc Line Dancers, Campbelltown Lisa Firth Look Good…Feel Better Louise Fox Macarthur Anglican High School Dr Michael Barbato Mounties Community Club
Pamela Bocking PJ & JM Smith Rayna Shelley‐St Julian Ray and Emma Williams Replenish Skin and Body Day Spa
Robert Reeves Prairiewood High School Simplicity Funerals St Johns Park Bowling Club SWS LHD Carers Program Sydney’s Crowne Plaza, Coogee Beach Ulysees Bike Club Woolworths Stockland Mall, Wetherill Park
Yvonne Kerr
On behalf of the SWS LHD Palliative Care Service we
thank them for their contribution and dedication
over the years and wish them well in all their future
endeavours
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Christmas Party/Appreciation Lunch For the second year running, Franklins at Stockland Mall, Wetherill Park sponsored the Christmas party, recognising the contribution the volunteers make in the community and hospitals. This kind community gesture demonstrates respect and value in giving back to the volunteers for their dedication and commitment.
From left: Therese Smeal (SWS LHD & S LHD Nurse Coordinator) Lena Pisani, Linda Allen, Linda Craparotta (Franklins representatives) and Dr Jennifer Wiltshire (Snr Staff Specialist, Palliative Medicine/Director Palliative Care Liverpool Hospital)
Palliative Care Volunteer Anna Muscatello turns
80
Palliative Care Nurse – Naomi Ellis and Secretary Michelle Moors, Liverpool
Hospital
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The SWS LHD Palliative Care Volunteers
Wish you All A
&
Best Wishes for 2012
The above nativity set was hand knitted by our volunteer Yvonne Kerr and donated to the Camden Palliative Care Inpatient Unit