Advance Care Planning is one of many programs at the Centre of Palliative Care benefitting from volunteers.
National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering and will be held on 15 – 21 May 2023. This year's is The Change Makers. The week recognises the vital support that the millions of volunteers in our country provide to their communities and encourages people to consider volunteering.
During National Advance Care Planning Week (20-26 March 2023) volunteers helped design and plan displays at St Vincent’s Public Hospital Melbourne and at Caritas in Kew as well as support a trade stall at St Georges Hospital promoting advance care planning to health professionals, outpatients and their families.
One of the volunteers, Marg, supported the trade stall with the Manager of the Advance Care Planning program, Caroline Scott.
Marg is retired now but was a Nurse Practitioner in Nephrology at St Vincent’s Melbourne until 2017. During her career, she played an active role in promoting Advance Care Planning to her patients and colleagues especially when Advance Care Planning was in its infancy.
Marg recalls the trade stall in her capacity as a volunteer was a great experience. The engagement from staff and lay people was good and the resources and treats were well received!
As a volunteer, the trade stall experience offered many gains for Marg; it made her feel connected to her previous professional life and reconnect with great people. Marg enjoyed being part of promoting good health and assisting people navigate Advance Care Planning through chatting and providing good quality resources.
The Advance Care Planning program and the Centre of Palliative Care recognise the vital role volunteers play in supporting small programs aiming to deliver big impact and we thank volunteers like Marg for making it possible.
Pictured are St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Advance Care Planning Manager Caroline Scott and Project Officer Emma Ning.
