Stacie Killian is a volunteer at Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal who so far has donated 98 hours of her time being in the hospital room when someone passes away.
“You feel so blessed to have been able to help when no one else could be there,” she said. “It’s a rewarding gift you can give to someone and their family.”
Killian is part of the No One Dies Alone (NODA) effort of patient compassion and empathy provided through Volunteer Services, Spiritual Care and Nursing at Carle Health.
Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana needs more volunteers for this effort currently available at two hospitals within the Carle Health system. Individuals receive training as part of the nationally recognized program. Volunteers sign up as to their availability and receive a group text when there is a need for a patient, Joella Evans, manager, Hospitality, Carle Foundation Hospital, said.
Eric Toliver, director, Volunteer Services, Carle Health, said, “We offer NODA because we believe it is important for patients who find themselves alone at the time of death have a person hold vigil at their side. Patients, family members who cannot be present, or front-line care team members may request it. For NODA volunteers, they have the privilege of being there for another human being during one of the most intimate moments of life’s journey.”
Carle Foundation Hospital Chaplain Kevin Wolfe said each volunteer records on paper when they were in the room, what they observed and what the next volunteer might expect.
“We do think if ever a patient is non-responsive, they can hear sounds in the room,” Wolfe said.
Volunteers may speak to the patient or read aloud or even sing softly once they learn from the clinical staff anything they can about the patient’s interests. Killian said she enters a room, touches the patient and says she is there to spend time with them as she pulls a chair up to the bed and faces the patient.
“To hear another voice or feel the touch of a hand can help a patient,” Wolfe said.
Staff who work with very ill patients get to know them and they sometimes volunteer to stay past their shift time to be in the room during the last hours of a patient’s life. If the staff member is aware of the kind of music a patient likes, they often play the music in the room, Kara Preston, RN, manager, Carle Foundation Hospital Operations, said. “They want that person felt, seen and heard.”
The need for volunteer surrogates escalated during the pandemic when families could not be inside hospitals to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Now, family members often live distances apart or have obligations preventing them from being present in the hospital with a loved one.
Before Alton Angus volunteered at Carle BroMenn, the now retired psychologist worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections and found himself supporting terminally ill prisoners cared for in rooms near his office. He functioned as a surrogate for family members allowed in a prisoner’s medical room on a limited basis.
“There is something very sacred passing from this life to the next. It is a privilege being there,” he said.
Carle Health Volunteer Services has an initial NODA training course on Wednesday, May 14 on the Carle Foundation Hospital campus. Individuals interested in volunteering may attend a session from 1 to 2:30 p.m. or from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Please contact Volunteer.Services@carle.com or call (217) 383-6701 if you plan to participate.
Learn more about volunteer opportunities throughout the Carle Health system at Carle.org.
Categories: Culture of Quality, Community
Tags: Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Carle Foundation Hospital, volunteer, Volunteerism, volunteers