Shannon Medical Center | Health Beat | Spring 2020

Spring 2020 7 Thanks, volunteers! We couldn’t do it without you At Shannon, we’re committed to providing quality, compassionate health care. One very important way we meet that goal is through our many volunteers. April is National Volunteer Month, and we would like to say a special thank you to our hardworking Shannon volunteers for everything they do. They’re a big part of what makes our organization special. More than 145 hospital volunteers have donated approximately 50,638 hours in the past year, handling a variety of tasks. These include: ■  ■ Greeting families and helping themfind their way around the hospital and clinics. ■  ■ Delivering get-well cards and other gifts to patients. ■  ■ Raising funds for hospital programs. ■  ■ Making special comfort pillows and tray favors for patients in the hospital. ■  ■ Staffing patient waiting areas to help provide families with updates about their loved ones. ■  ■ Helping with the Shannon Gift Shops. No One Dies Alone Volunteers If you would like to join this special group and make an impact for others, call 325-657-5285 or visit shannonhealth.com for more information. T he last moments of a person’s life can be anxious and confusing, but one thing they should never be is alone. However, some- times circumstances prevent someone from having a family member or friend with them during their dying process. Because of this, Shannon is implementing “No One Dies Alone,” a service that provides patients with someone to offer comfort and support to them in their final days or hours. While nurses provide exceptional service and dedication to these patients, they have many more responsibilities and duties that prevent them from spending longer periods of time sitting with just one individ- ual.This presents both a need and an opportunity for volunteers to serve these patients with their time and presence.These volunteers, referred to as Compassionate Caregivers, can be the comfort someone needs to make the end of their life more peaceful. SOMEONE JUST TO BE THERE “The last days and hours of someone’s life can be a vulnerable time for most people,” says J.T. Tucker, coordinator of pastoral care. “Some pa- tients are left to go through this alone. Maybe their family can’t travel to be with them, or they don’t have anyone to call to sit with them.There is a much greater need for Compassionate Caregivers than most people would think.” No One Dies Alone originated as an idea from Sandra Clarke at Sa- cred Heart Medical Center in Oregon 18 years ago. Sandra, as a nurse, was working her rounds when an elderly gentleman who was nearing death asked her to sit with him. She promised she would come back after she checked on her other patients, but by the time she returned, he had already passed. “Nurses are some of the kindest, most generous people in the world,” J.T. says. “No matter how badly they may want to sit with an individual, they are not always able to because of their responsibility to their other patients. Compassionate Caregivers can help both the nurses and the pa- tient during these difficult times.” HELPING PEOPLE FIND PEACE Between being a pastoral care assistant and a member of the palliative care team and previous ministry with hospice, J.T. has personally sat with dying patients and their family members hundreds of times during his eight years here at Shannon. “A lot of the time I spend with patients and their families is just being a comforting presence and exploring questions they may have,” J.T. says. “Dying can be a very confusing and troubling time for both the patient and their family. I try to relieve as much of their stress as I can. You’d be surprised how much of a difference it makes to just be a non-anxious presence.” A WHOLE TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS The No One Dies Alone program launched at Shannon in January.The program already has more than 30 volunteers from throughout the com- munity who have completed training.The volunteers work together in a team approach when a patient is in need. “We want our team to be able to connect to their patients, but not overextend themselves,” J.T. says. “For this reason, we have two caregivers on call at a time, ready to offer no more than four hours to provide a vigil. We’re always open to recruiting new members that want to offer a helping hand.” BE A PART Volunteers do not have to be a nurse or medical professional to offer their services. If you are interested in becoming a Compas- sionate Caregiver at Shannon, contact J.T. Tucker at jttucker@ shannonhealth.org .