‘Their faces always lit up’
KYRA Kane, 21, a third-year midwifery student, volunteers with the NHS at the Larkfield Unit, Inverclyde Royal Hospital, in her hometown of Greenock, Renfrewshire.
Speaking of her ‘eye-opening’ experience helping mostly elderly patients on the ward, she said: ‘I volunteered for about a year and a half at the hospital’s Ward 1. My main role as a volunteer was just to comfort patients.
‘A lot of the elderly were in for months – if not years – on these wards, so they didn’t always have visitors. My job was to go in and speak to them. I also handed out presents at Christmas time.
‘Quite a lot of patients don’t get any visitors at all. It was definitely an eye-opener because you don’t realise how many people are in the hospital without visitors and how they feel. I had regular people that I visited. Their faces always lit up when I went into the room.
‘I found it very beneficial, especially if you’re a “people person”. It’s also good for the patients as they get a fresh face to come and see them.
‘It was good to have that continuity too as they could tell me how their week had gone and what they had been up to.
‘Nurses are really busy so they couldn’t always get that emotional contact with the patients. I let them offload on to me. For me to help take away part of their pain was my goal.
‘I had always planned to do midwifery and I thought volunteering would be a good way to get experience before university. One of my friends also volunteered, so I got into it through that.
‘Working as a volunteer allowed me to build on my communication skills which have helped me all through university. It has also made me grow as a person.
‘I realise now that not everyone is as they seem. Many patients sit with a smile on their face and don’t want to bother anyone – but it’s when you go in and sit with them for a while they eventually open up and reveal their true self.
‘I would urge anyone who has a spare bit of time and is interested in volunteering not to wait until the perfect time – go and do it now.
‘It’s something I’ve never regretted and it’s something that, once I qualify, I’ll be going back to.’