This week is National Volunteer Week (19-25 May), Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. This year we celebrate the power of volunteering and how it brings people together with the theme ‘Connecting Communities’.
Volunteers are at the heart of Austin Health. They support patients, families, visitors and our staff - providing companionship, guide services, supporting retail and fundraising activities, assisting with patient activities, providing administration and organisation support, or helping in other specialised roles.
To celebrate the week, we caught up with Gary to find out what drives him to volunteer and how his work creates a more connected and supportive environment for our patients, their families and our staff.
Meet Gary Chapman
Volunteer in the Day Oncology unit since 2023
How does your volunteer role help create a more connected and supportive environment for patients, families and staff within the hospital?
The volunteer brings into the mix someone not involved in the clinical side of the patient’s journey.
One would hope the doctors and the nurses bring empathy in their interaction with the patients, but they have a very important job to do and must remain objective and professional. If the patient wants to talk, whether to complain, wonder why this has happened to them, compliment everybody or whatever, the volunteer has the time to sit and listen. Hopefully this helps them be at peace with their situation.
Can you share a meaningful moment when your support helped someone feel less alone or more connected during their hospital visit or stay?
Surprisingly, it happened 18 months into my volunteering at ONJ Day Oncology, with two patients on their first day of treatment. The first was a lady in late 70’s with throat cancer and was facing 6 weeks of 5 per week radiation on her neck. I know from my time at ONJ that this is terrible treatment. She knew this and wondered at her age whether it was worth it. I could tell she was not taking is assertion lightly. Of course it is not my role to agree or disagree with her thoughts, but I did find her a very thoughtful soul and I do think we had a connection. I did not tell her my story as I felt in this instance it was not of any value. I just listened. Her grace moved me.
The second was a lovely older man in very big trouble. He was undergoing the treatment so he could get to a stage where he could go to his home country in Europe for the last time and say farewell. Again, I did not mention my journey, no value although I went through exactly the same scenario. I just listened. I was taken with him and his wife. Their grace and stoicism moved me too.
In what ways do you think volunteers help bridge the gap between the community and the healthcare system?
I think the volunteer’s advantage is that we are part of the community but are not part of the healthcare system, and most likely, the patients [we meet are having the] worst time of their life. The healthcare system must be objective and professional as they have a job to do and are expected to carry it out to the best of their ability for the patient. As ordinary people, the volunteer has the time to sit down and listen, whether the patient is at some sort of peace or has not come to terms with what has happened to them. I don’t believe we are a specific conduit, but we are an intermediary and hopefully a calming influence.
How has volunteering helped you connect with people from different backgrounds, including patients, staff, and fellow volunteers?
As I am a cancer survivor and an outpatient at ONJ, I think I connect with everyone in the system. I generally don’t tell many patients of my journey, and the staff don’t know either, but anyway, I understand. Something I do have is empathy and I hope it shows.
What do you find most rewarding about being part of the volunteer community, and how does it contribute to a stronger sense of connection?
I know it is a cliché, but I am completely overwhelmed how nice the patients are, considering they are going through, in most cases, the worst journey of their lives. It is astounding.