It is National Volunteer Week!
A big thank you goes out to our over 2,200 volunteers, including our auxiliary members, who give over 220,000 hours a year to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) usually with a smile, sometimes through tears and always from the heart. Volunteers have been a pillar at the MUHC for generations, contributing unwavering dedication and compassion to patient and family care seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Maurice Demers and Andrée Sauvé
For the past nine years Maurice Demers, affectionately nicknamed “Momo,” has been warming the hearts of patients at the Lachine Hospital by serving them their morning coffee. Since his retirement, Demers has been going to the hospital with his wife, who works there, to give his time to others. “Instead of being stuck inside four walls, I prefer to accompany my wife to the hospital and try to make patients happy,” he says. “Our presence is so important to them.”
As a volunteer, Demers is responsible for several tasks within the hospital, including being involved in patients’ recreational activities. “What I like best is making coffee for the patients,” explains Demers.
Volunteers go to the Camille Lefebvre Pavilion to invite the patients for a coffee and actually bring them to the cafe so they can socialize with other patients.
“When I arrive in the morning, I’m happy to spend time with such a generous team, and nothing pleases me more than bringing joy to the lives of patients,” says Demers.
For Andrée Sauvé, who has worked as a volunteer at the Café for a year and a half, spending time with the patients brings her so much more than she gives. “When I was working as an elementary school teacher, I said I would never have the time to volunteer. But once I retired, I thought it was time to take action,” she says. “I live in Lachine and I often passed by the hospital. One day, I thought why not volunteer here? So I came in and asked if I could get involved. I’ve been taking part in patients’ social lives ever since. Having worked with children my whole career, I quickly realized elderly patients have the same need for love, affection and to have someone to listen to them.”
Volunteer coordinator Nevine Fateen has been evaluating the needs at Lachine Hospital and Pavillon Camille Lefebvre for several months. “I have met incredible volunteers. They realize if they don’t come and give a bit of their time, some patients will simply have no one visiting them.”
Pierre Karl
Pierre Karl’s life has not been a walk in the park. Following a work-related accident in 2010 he slowly declined and found himself alone, homeless and living on the streets. Also a recovering alcoholic, Karl’s health continued to deteriorate on several fronts. By 2011 he found himself in the care of the Emergency Department at the Montreal General Hospital (MGH) of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
”All of the doctors and nurses cared so much about me and wanted to help me,” says Karl.
Karl describes himself as being isolated and alone throughout much of his life. He hadn’t taken proper care of himself and he abused his health. His relationship with the MUHC deepened as the full extent of his poor health became known and he moved between care teams. “Mindboggling” is how Karl describes the transition from being homeless to a man being cared for by the healthcare teams. “I could feel the truth of their friendship,” he says through a small smile.
When asked how he came to be a volunteer Karl relates how he had seen the many men and women in their distinctive blue volunteer jackets on every floor and decided he would ask how he too could become “one of them.” He felt the urge to give back to the institution that cared so much for him. Following the vetting period and his acceptance into the program, he was introduced to the Hospitality Corner as a sandwich maker. Today, he splits his three days of volunteering every week between the Hospitality Corner, where he is now a waiter, Day Surgery, where he greets patients and helps them find the changing rooms, and Colorectal surgery, where he helps the department with filing.
Outside of the hospital, Karl’s life has improved too. He now lives in an apartment and gives time to his church. Clean and sober for four years, he is a very happy man who describes the last two years of his life as “blessed.” He has the friendship and support of the 1,100 volunteers at the MGH as well as from many doctors, nurses and other caregivers he has met at the MUHC as a patient and as a volunteer.
When asked what he likes most about volunteering, Karl says, “The friendships. The social support is overwhelming.”
Guy Marsolais
82-year-old Guy Marsolais distributes free, timely magazines to clinics throughout the MUHC
Despite having retired several years ago, 82-year-old Guy Marsolais says he works harder today as a volunteer with the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) than ever before – and that’s hardly an understatement!
Thanks to Marsolais’ continued kindness and resourcefulness, waiting rooms across the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and in hospitals throughout the region of Montreal are stocked with new magazines every month. That’s because Marsolais graciously heads to a roughly ten different magazine distribution centres across Montreal monthly and personally loads boxes of new magazines into his car for delivery to MUHC hospitals.
A retired sales director, Marsolais first began volunteering at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) 26 years ago in the RVH’s long-term care ward and hasn’t slowed down since. In 2000, he began to shift his commitment to magazines after a bit of research helped him develop contacts in the industry.
“I felt like I could dedicate myself to making waiting rooms a little more pleasant for people by providing brand new, timely magazines to those who unfortunately have to spend time in hospitals,” says Marsolais.
Beyond his commitment to delivering to the MUHC’s hospitals, Marsolais also delivers to other hospitals throughout the greater Montreal area as well, including the West Island and Laval.
“I can’t keep boxes in the house too long, so I have to make my rounds to the hospitals fairly often,” laughs Marsolais.
Marsolais estimates his magazine deliveries to Montreal hospitals have surpassed 3 million copies since he began counting in 2010, and says he’s more than happy to continue doing the work if it will help others.
Andrew Sharp
Andrew Sharp always knew he wanted to volunteer at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. “My own children were hospitalized here a couple times and I was interested in volunteering, but didn’t have the time,” he says. “So I decided to sign-up after retiring.” For the last five months, Sharp has been spending a few hours on Mondays and Wednesdays with two patients in particular. On Monday morning, he keeps a three-year-old entertained in Dialysis and on Wednesday afternoon, he heads up to 7C1 to play with Loïc.
“I love discovering new things with Mario, the little boy in dialysis,” says Sharp. “He is so lively and he really loves music. He’s got a great sense of rhythm and sometimes he starts dancing by just listening to the sound of the dialysis machines.”
More recently Sharp has also been spending time with Loïc, and the two of them enjoy having sword fights in the hallway. “It’s all about developing friendships with these children and taking the workload off the staff. The first time I met Mario he was afraid of me, but now he gets excited whenever I walk into the room because he knows I’m there to play with him.”
Sharp also credits the dialysis nurses for helping him get to know Mario better and for giving him hints on what he likes and doesn’t like. “I have always loved being around children. I love making them laugh and seeing them develop so quickly,” he says. “It’s been good training for if or when I become a grandfather!”
Lorraine Gareau
Lorraine Gareau came to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) about 14 years ago when she walked past the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) during a recruitment campaign and was recruited by the Volunteer Department right off the street! After spending some time with our long-term-care patients at the MCI, Gareau moved to the Montreal Neurological Hospital, where she has spent the better part of 14 years in the Friendly Visiting Program.
Gareau has always had a keen interest in health care, particularly Nursing and Psychiatry, but was detoured from pursuing this interest by her own health issues. “I didn’t get to study in the fields I wanted to, but I love being here, where I understand what people are living through,” she says. “I find I am able to relate to the patients through my own health issues. I think they like to know they are not alone.”
Gareau’s dedication and support over the years have had a positive impact on the patients and their loved ones. By offering some company, comfort and conversation during their stay in the hospital she is able to make ‘the patient experience’ a little less stressful and a little less overwhelming.
MCI volunteers
The Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) is just one of the many areas at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) that benefits from regular visits from volunteers. The MUHC volunteers at the MCI have a long history of supporting the Recreation Program in long-term care, but they have also had regular involvement in Acute Care, the Day Hospital and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Thanks to the generous support of the MCI Patients’ Committee, recently Volunteer Services has been able to offer the patients and families a little something more than the traditional friendly visits. It has been able to create the Coffee Cart Program, where volunteers offer a special touch to their visit through a fresh cup of coffee and the promise of a special treat.
“It’s amazing what a difference it can make to have someone care for you by feeding you,” says Alexandra Bernard, volunteer supervisor at the MCI and Montreal Neurological and Royal Victoria hospitals. “You can tell how much the patients appreciate the fact that coffee is brewed fresh, just for them and that someone went out of their way to buy special treats that they usually don’t get to enjoy while in the hospital.”
Thanks to the funding, volunteers are also able to provide this support on weekends. Many patients benefit from the volunteer presence, particularly patients with no family or visitors. Weekends can be very long for them.