It’s Wednesday morning. Gail is starting her volunteer shift on St. Michael’s Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit. Designed for patients over 70 with multiple chronic conditions, it’s where doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists—and volunteers like Gail—work as a team to reduce the risk of patients’ developing delirium.
Gail’s job sounds simple. She drops in on patients, and chats with them. Sometimes for a few minutes. Sometimes for half an hour. That’s it. It doesn’t seem like much. But it’s everything. “I just ask questions. ‘What’s your name? Do you have a nickname? Is there anything you need?’ And often, it isn’t their answer that’s important. It’s where that answer takes us.”
Today’s first patient, Jean, is excited to see Gail. Just a few minutes after Gail walks in and introduces herself, they are fast friends. Soon, she and Gail are chatting about life and, unexpectedly, a shared love of documentaries.
“These people have lived long, fascinating lives, and they are interested in a lot of things. There’s so much we can learn from them. And in return, I give them a little company—and let them know they are seen and important.”
Staff on the ACE Unit call Gail a superstar. She is able offer what busy clinicians often can’t: undivided attention. To patients, it means the world. To Gail, it’s just as rewarding. “There was a British gentleman who always told me about the books he was reading. It reminded me I need to keep reading, too—to stay engaged. I liked my visits with him as much as he did.”
It’s right then and there that her volunteer philosophy surfaces. Do something good and special for people, with a full heart and a generous spirit, and you’ll feel something special in return.
Volunteers like Gail remind us that healing happens in many forms—and sometimes, the best medicine is simply being heard.
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