The best surprise I enjoy as a volunteer, year after year, is how happy I feel; I bring this happiness home with me every day.
A volunteer in OLH&CS for more than 28 years, Isabel Cotter has experienced many changes in the organisation and the work of volunteers over the years.
As school secretary of St. Mary’s College in Rathmines she was in regular contact with the Hospice, who would phone looking for chaplains to visit the patients. During a call with Sister Francis Rose a seed was sown and when she retired Isabel offered her services to the team.
“Francis Rose was thoughtful and kind, you knew this because she met each patient at the front door of the main building, greeting them and their families. This set the standard of welcome and reassurance for which the Hospice is so well known.”
Around this time, Francis Rose and the Board were keen on the idea of developing a volunteer support service and Carol Mullan was appointed co-ordinator.
“Initially there were five in the volunteer group, each of us was rostered on two days a week for three to four hours or longer if needed! This included assisting with evening meals from 7-9 pm,” she recalls.
“We managed organisational and clerical tasks, such as training and visiting. We shared our concerns and advice on how to approach the unusual situations that would arise – this included understanding how rigor mortis affects the body; knowing what to do if a patient dies on our watch, or standing as witness at a wedding in Palliative Care.”
As the service was being developed, she explains that many questions were asked in order to tease out the best approach.
“What should we do? How would we fit in with the staff? To work this out, we were placed on a ward for a day. This initiation process clarified our role as a support to staff. We had no nursing duties, we were helpers, a flexible resource. This agreement created trust between staff, patients and among ourselves and gradually we integrated into the work at hand.”
It became clear that a range of particular skills was needed.
“We felt that patients needed us to be comforting and peaceful. We set about creating a kind, placid, listening, responsive persona. We realised it is important to be at the level of the patient, and recognise their worry and anxiety. After all, they do not want to be ill. Above all, we knew we needed to take a deep breath and leave our own troubles at the door.”
Describing the difference volunteering makes in the lives of those who support staff and patients she says, “I believe that a new dimension grows in the life of a volunteer: the resilience that arises from listening with attention. We see ourselves as a cushion between patients, families and staff.”
Her experience has taught her that, “distractions work marvels in alleviating distress. When we bring tea, we get talking, we say, ‘nice to see you’, we are cheerful, we reassure.
“While a patient may say, ‘I am sad, I am angry, I am gloomy’ we know the art of being friendly but not overstepping.”
Isabel shares her personal mantra: “Help me to remember that nothing will happen to me today that I can’t handle.” She adds, “Friendship is the great treasure which every Volunteer discovers: rapport with staff, patients, and with each other.”
Over the years Isabel has adapted to many roles across the organisation and one long-running role was in the shop in Palliative Care.
“For many years I helped to run the shop, which was operated by one employee and supplemented by volunteers. We sold magazines, papers, books, minerals, homemade cakes, sandwiches and sweets. My experience working in a newsagent proved invaluable as I could supply all goods wholesale! We were delighted how much patients liked to come by to pass the time of day and enjoy a gossip about everyday things like the news or the weather.”
In 1992, the Light Up A Life fundraising event was introduced by Carol Mullan and Isabel played an important role in organising it for many years.
“When the tree, provide by Dublin City Council, was located at the roundabout it made for a very special atmosphere. The crowds gathered closely and patients and their families stood by inside the windows to watch the lighting of the lights. People were mesmerised by the experience. It was very emotional, with a very strong feeling of community and spirituality.
This special celebration soon became the central feature in the Hospice calendar. It was my job to set up the programme, contact the families, arrange the stage and singers, supervise the Christmas tree lights, and to prepare the candles in memory of those who had died.”
In mid-1993, a dozen volunteers worked together to take over a space, in what is now Day Hospice, to use as a coffee shop where patients and their visitors could enjoy some time away from the wards.
“Volunteers organised all the catering – fresh sandwiches were made on site and homemade cakes and sweet treats were provided for sale. Families found it to be a real haven, somewhere they could take a break and they really enjoyed the opportunity to chat to volunteers.”
Taking on unusual jobs has been a speciality for Isabel, who also played an important role in developing the Hospice’s Mixing Bowl recipe books. This project, originally driven by CRU’s Dr Sheela Perumal, involved talking with people from across the services.
Those who submitted recipes were encouraged to share their personal story in conversation. Working with another volunteer, Isabel took on the role of interviewer and thoroughly enjoyed the experience recording a wealth of stories.
“Ultimately, the job of a volunteer is to make sure patients feel loved, important, useful and involved. This project was a real joy as it gave us a chance to work with and chat to residents, patients and staff who contributed to these special books and, as we say the introduction, “The memories of great food are the very memories of our lives.
In summing up her experience as a volunteer, Isabel explains that, “The best surprise I enjoy as a volunteer, year after year, is how happy I feel; I bring this happiness home with me every day.”