Page 10 - Ashgate Hospicecare News: December 2019

It’s important that people realise that the hospice is
a place of comfort, it can support families through a difficult time and help people, both here and at home, to die with dignity.
Angela Coleman
Angela has been a volunteer for Ashgate Hospicecare since the year we opened in 1988. Angela shares her story about why she’s been a dedicated volunteer for so long.
“I started volunteering for Ashgate Hospicecare 30 years ago because my youngest son, who was 18 at the time, had just gone away to a university in America and so I found myself with some free time. I wanted to give something back and, at that time, the hospice was
in its infancy, so I decided I’d like to volunteer. I’d never had any experience in a hospice before, but I knew I wanted a role that would allow me to connect with the patients.
I used to come in at seven o’clock in the morning and serve breakfast and then I’d stay for a bit longer and serve lunch. In those days, we were allowed to help bathe the patients – it was very hands on! I would even sit with patients who were nearing the end of their life before their family came in.
Despite what many people think, the hospice is a very happy place. Often, when I told people I volunteered there, they’d say to me, “Oh, I don’t know how you can volunteer there. It must be very hard to be around people who are dying.” And it can be very tough sometimes, but there are also a lot of good times. The hardest thing for me was seeing patients who had young children. But there were always people around who I could talk to and I just did my best for each patient.
It was quite a small team of staff and volunteers back in 1988. I remember all the original members of staff. Everyone always made me feel appreciated, saying, “I don’t know what we’d do without you!”, so that was really nice.
A lot of people knew I was a volunteer on the ward and so, if they knew someone who was at the hospice, they’d ask me if I could sit with them whenever they couldn’t be there. One lady I knew was really worried about coming to the hospice as she’d never been before and so she asked me if I could meet her at the door when
she arrived. I did, and you could see the relief she felt when she saw a friendly face. Unfortunately, a few years later, her daughter also became ill and came into the hospice and she too asked me if I could wait by the door for her, which I did. It’s nice that I was able to help people feel better about coming here and gradually you can see their fears and anxieties disappear as they are greeted by the nurses and are made to feel comfortable here.
Around ten years ago, I needed something a bit more flexible and so I decided to take up a volunteering role in the Fundraising Team doing bucket collections in shops and I often rope my husband into doing some collections with me! It’s great because we travel to America fairly often to see my son and his family, and this role is very flexible, so it works for us.
I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to volunteer for Ashgate Hospicecare for so long. It’s a place that’s become very close to my heart. Even now occasionally I get a lump in my throat when doing the bucket collections. Quite often, I will get people coming up to me who’ve had relatives cared for by the hospice and they’ll tell me how wonderful the care is and they’ll put some money into the bucket. It’s very hard not to well up in situations like that.
Even though I’m not volunteering on the ward anymore, I still have lots of conversations with people about the work of the hospice and I think it’s important to have those conversations with people in the community. Lots of people still don’t like to think about hospices, but if you have a chat with them you can often help to dispel some of their misconceptions about the place. It’s important that people realise that Ashgate Hospicecare is a place of comfort; it can support families through a difficult time and help people both here and at home to die with dignity.
I’ve got nothing but praise for the hospice. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had the time to give something back and to help patients and families. It’s so rewarding to volunteer and to know that you’re helping to raise money and awareness for such a good cause.”
If you’ve got a little bit of spare time and are interested in becoming a volunteer for Ashgate Hospicecare, like Angela, please visit www.ashgatehospicecare.org.uk/volunteer,
or call our Volunteering Team on 01245 568801 or email volunteering@ashgatehospicecare.org.uk
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