About the program

The achievements of the SWSLHD Palliative Care volunteers this year

has been extraordinary.

The passionate patient and carer services provided by these

volunteers across the Local Health District in our hospitals and

community are priceless!

The program was formally launched as a permanent service in

Bankstown Hospital in June this year and operates on Tuesday and

Wednesday.

Other achievements have included carer workshops across the LHD,

presentations at the Palliative Care State Conference, fundraising

events, promotional events, memorial services, collating the

bereavement packages and writing bereavement cards.

Acknowledgements with nominations to the NSW Ministry of Health

in July 2012 for the NSW Health Awards and the inaugural SWS

Palliative Care Awards as well as winning the award in the Volunteer

Category at the LHD Quality Awards held in August are reflective and

highlight the hard work of the volunteers in this important area.

I am proud of what the volunteers accomplished this year and would

like to thank them, the palliative care teams, hospital staff,

community nurses and the executive members of our hospitals and

community for their strong support and encouragement of the

program.

Arlene Roache SWS LHD Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator

Swslhd Palliative care volunteer program

Inside this edition

About the program 1

Awards & Recognition 2

Education & Training 3

NSW Palliative Care

Conference

3

Celebrating Carers 4

Activities across the

LHD

5-6

Statistics 5

Farewells/Fundraising 6

Thank you Donor 6

Xmas Party 7

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have

to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in

physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Martin Luther King Jr

Awards & recognition Volunteers were treated to an Appreciation

Morning Tea hosted by Campbelltown and

Camden Hospital General Manager Leisa

Rathborne and received Certificates of

Appreciation from Liverpool Hospital General

Manager Anthony Schembri.

They were also invited to attend the Cancer

Services AGM held in November. Prof Geoff

Delaney acknowledged them for their valued

contribution and dedication. They were

chuffed to receive the invitation to the cocktail

party afterwards as well as their lovely

Certificates of Appreciation.

Page 2

Volunteers acknowledged at the SWSLHD 2012

Inaugural Palliative Care Awards in May 2012 to

celebrate National Palliative Care Week.

Joan Casey was the volunteer

for a complex situation for a

palliative care client who was a

younger man with his mum as

his carer. Palliative care and

primary staff would often arrive

to the sounds of laughter from

the client who was playing a

card game with Joan.

Heather Parkes (right)

was nominated for her

work with a client who

was anxious and lonely.

Her visits brought joy to

the client and her

husband and they said

they ‘felt very

supported’.

The Service accepted the

SWSLHD 2012 Quality Award

Winner in the category of

Volunteer Service of the

Year.

The award was accepted by Arlene (Roache) Volunteer

Coordinator, Therese (Smeal), Area Palliative Care

Nurse Coordinator and Jenny (Downes) Social Worker

Braeside

State Conference at DubboState Conference at DubboState Conference at DubboState Conference at Dubbo

Reaching OutReaching OutReaching OutReaching Out

Community, Communicating, Connecting

“When I joined the Palliative Care volunteer

team, I wasn’t expecting to be linked to a

child, however this was probably the best

introduction to Palliative Care volunteering I

could have had”.

Jo-Anne Craik-Cooper – Palliative Care

Community Volunteer

Victor’s mum said,

“Jo is very good – I can feel her heart when I

am very stressed, she is very calm and

understanding, even when I cry, she not talk

much but always listen. Her personality

shows I can trust her and when she comes

she makes me feel warm.

Even Victor, when he sees Jo he is happy

and make sounds of noise and I feel he

wanted to talk to Jo. When Jo goes he cries

and when Jo comes he is happy. I can never

have enough of Jo”.

Education & TrainingEducation & TrainingEducation & TrainingEducation & Training

Apart from the mandatory training our volunteers

completed online for the first time this year,

continued support, education and training is

provided to the volunteers throughout the year.

Monthly meetings also offer them the opportunity

to catch up with other volunteers and to debrief in

a safe, understanding and non-judgmental

atmosphere where learning from shared

experiences happens. Regular in-services are also

provided by guest speakers and hospital staff.

A Day on spirituality in the Care of the Dying

hosted by Dr Roger Cole and Dr Michael Barbato

at the Nan Tien Temple Wollongong.

Some volunteers had the privilege of attending

and found the day rewarding in terms of not only

spiritual growth but a further deepening of

appreciation of the journey that those who are

dying undertake.

Page 3

Celebrating carers across Celebrating carers across Celebrating carers across Celebrating carers across

the lhd in the hospital, the lhd in the hospital, the lhd in the hospital, the lhd in the hospital,

community and the Camden community and the Camden community and the Camden community and the Camden

palliative care inpatient palliative care inpatient palliative care inpatient palliative care inpatient

unitunitunitunit

Carer QuoteCarer QuoteCarer QuoteCarer Quote “It is such a lovely service provided to the

carers. The volunteers are amazing, they put

their hearts into it, and so we know that if

we are not here our loved ones are still

being looked after.”

The volunteers prepared chocolate boxes to give

to the carers

Aileen Collier Palliative Care PhD Nurse Student

presents to Palliative care carers at the Bankstown

Trotting Club.

Apart from the smiles, support and many skills the

volunteers bring to the service, they also have the

ability to make the ward feel like home for the

clients, their loved ones and friends. They came

early to decorate the garden and prepare the BBQ

for palliative care carers at the Camden Palliative

Care Unit. Carer support officer Jan Heslep

provided a workshop on relaxation and stress

management. She said that “carers can

sometimes feel so alone, which is why it’s great to

put on these workshops and bring them together.”

Page 4

Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer Activities Across Activities Across Activities Across Activities Across

The LHDThe LHDThe LHDThe LHD

James enjoyed playing the piano for Janet

(community volunteer) every time she visited him

at home.

Promoting the program in the Southern Highlands.

3rd from left to right Community Volunteers: Lynn

Harris and 5th

Heather Parkes.

Day Therapy Centre Day Therapy Centre Day Therapy Centre Day Therapy Centre

CamdenCamdenCamdenCamden

The volunteers serve alcohol in the Inpatient Unit

twice a week, along with cheese and crackers, soft

drink and chocolates. This creates an atmosphere

of enjoyment, a sense of camaraderie and light

hearted humor among patients, their family and

friends. Volunteers are fully compliant with policy

and procedures.

Volunteer

Judy Smith with

Jolly Trolley &

Roberta Elston

NUM Camden

Inpatient Unit

Page 5

Statistics recorded in the 2012 for the Palliative Care Volunteer Program: • 3822 palliative care visits to patients in

hospital.

• 302 palliative care visits to patients in

community.

• A total of 3367 hours in face to face

hospital/community visits.

• 323 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.

Volunteers raised a total of $3722.00 through

fundraising initiatives i.e. Stalls and Raffles . A total

of $1632 was received in donations.

Palliative care nurses play an important

role supporting volunteers in hospitals

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

○ Aileen Collier ○Woolworths Camden

○ Australian Institute of

Music

○ Ulysees Motorcycle Club,

Macarthur

○ Bankstown Trotting

Recreational Club

○ Tony & Barbara Willis

○ Bidvest Fresh ○ SWS LHD Carers Program

○ Cabra-Vale Diggers ○ Stephen Fitzgerald

○ Camden Men’s Shed ○ Schweppes Australia

○ Fairlie Bournes ○ Sean Nolan

○ Katie Carr ○ Scott & Nicole Sutton

○ Line Dancers,

Campbelltown

○ Club Marconi

○ Lisa Firth ○ Norman Conyers

○ Masters Camden ○ Rosie Batten

The Service The Service The Service The Service

farwelledfarwelledfarwelledfarwelled

Diana Fergusson

Jennifer Harris

On behalf of the SWS LHD Palliative Care Service we

thank them for their contribution and

dedication over the years and wish them all the very

best!

Page 6

“I want to thank you for giving

me the opportunity to volunteer

in the palliative ward. It has been

an invaluable learning experience

and I feel very privileged to have

spent time caring for palliative

patients and their families. My

self awareness has improved and

I have been able to witness the benefits of holistic

care firsthand. I will be able to take what I have

learnt and apply the skills throughout my nursing

career. I also want to thank all the wonderful

volunteers and staff in the palliative ward for

being supportive and making me feel welcome.

Kindest regards,

Jennifer Harris

From left:

Charmaine

O’Connor,

Palliative Care CNC

& Karisha Khalil,

Palliative Care

Volunteer,

Liverpool Hospital

From right: Nikki

Oakley, Palliative

Care CNC, Dr Alan

Landau, Palliative

Care Registrar &

Laurel Walters,

CNS and

Bankstown

Hospital

Page 7