Gill thought about volunteering for Hospice for several years before she felt ready to take the next step and sign up. “I’m quite an emotional person, so I needed to feel ready to be able to participate in people’s lives and be calm,” she explains.
As with so many of our volunteers, Gill has her own personal Hospice connection from the time her mother was in Hospice in Christchurch. Despite it being just a short time, it left an overwhelming impact on her. “Everyone was amazing,” she says. “And I thought, when I grow up I want to give back like these people do. They were just incredible.”
After being onboarded and attending an orientation induction morning, the Volunteer Services team contacted her with a suggestion. “The orientation I attended was for companionship or driving, but then I was offered a spot on Thursday mornings with the physio exercise class,” says Gill. Not only did that appeal to her, but she knew the regular time slot would fit in well with her work commitments.
Now every Thursday Gill assists with the group physiotherapy class for patients, whānau and carers at Hospice House. “I’ve been coming to class with Jen (one of Hospice West Auckland’s physiotherapists), who’s incredible and everyone in class loves her,” she says. “She has the most beautiful aura and demeanour, and calmness, and care factor. I go in and I do my little bits and pieces to support her and everyone in class, who are just great as well.”
Gill says she always looks forward to the Thursday sessions, with so much humour and interesting conversations in a fun and supportive group environment. “There’s always interesting topics, and often they’ll do a little bit of dancing with their exercise because they’re having a lovely time with the music, it’s just gorgeous,” she smiles. “And you can just see how important it is to them to be in that social environment. They all know each other well, and they love being in that room with each other. And it’s so nice to be a part of that.” The classes always end with morning tea, reinforcing that invaluable social connection.
Like many others, Gill has been surprised to find so much joy at Hospice. “If you haven’t volunteered or worked for hospice or in a palliative care environment, you would probably be surprised to hear that it’s so joyful, and enjoyable. I’ve found that since working here, how uplifting it is, and I’ve been quite surprised – I didn’t expect it to be such a happy place.”
Gill highly recommends volunteering, particularly with so many diverse roles available to suit availability, skillsets and personal preferences. “And the process has been amazing – everyone goes above and beyond to be helpful and make you feel welcome and appreciate your time,” she says. “It’s more rewarding than I could have imagined. It’s really special to be a part of.”
