Since March 2022, Catherine Walker has been volunteering on Heritage 2 at Providence Care Hospital – providing support and a compassionate care to palliative and complex-medical-care patients and their families. Her experiences volunteering has allowed her to meet a variety of people from all backgrounds, cultures and histories.
“Taking the time to visit and having purposeful conversations or playing cribbage together can bring light into the day of someone who is spending their time in a hospital. Volunteerism is a win for everyone. It is connecting with others during a precious time, being open to the realities of their lives and offering them comfort to talk openly and honestly. As humans that’s what we all need regardless of our situation in life.”
As a certified End-of-Life Doula, Catherine is passionate about death-care and support for the grieving. Catherine says she wasn’t expecting the amount of enrichment received in return from her experiences volunteering at Providence Care.
“As I continue to volunteer, I feel such purpose and passion for the time spent there and receive such gratitude from the patients. In addition, the volunteer team at Providence Care Hospital is such a desirable place to be as there is a real team effort and support for each other. There are knitters making comfort dolls, carvers making decor, musicians, visiting pets, greeters at the entrance, treat trolleys and an arts and crafts space called the Art Hive. The opportunities and rewards of volunteerism is endless,” says Catherine.
We are so appreciative of volunteers like Catherine who lends her own expertise and personal experiences to make a positive impact on the experiences of patients and their families.
