I derive much satisfaction from my role as a volunteer on the sixth floor palliative care unit. The Grace is lucky to have a skilled and compassionate palliative care team. That is one thing that I have noticed as a volunteer over the past four years.
Another is this: a volunteer stands outside the patient’s usual social circle of family and friends. Some patients realize that volunteers have time to listen and will open up about family or personal history. Other patients use this freedom to talk about things truly important or urgent to them. Good honest human contact occurs on the palliative care unit. I consider it a privilege to be allowed entry into peoples’ lives at a time when dying and living become our daily bread. I notice that patients’ physical needs, as well as emotional, spiritual and informational needs are being met every day.
All in all, what do I get out of volunteering at the Toronto Grace? A lot.