Volunteer Michael and Western Health volunteer co-ordinator Katrina Apswoude are looking for volunteers to make a difference to a patient’s day. 78287 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By LAURA WAKELY
ALTONA’S Michael Samtagati knows the difference a conversation can make.
When his father was being treated at Sunshine Hospital three years ago Michael saw how the volunteers who visited his dad’s bedside would lift his spirits by simply saying hello.
Knowing someone would be there to provide a social line to a bed-ridden loved one was also a source of relief, happiness and gratefulness, for the times when Michael couldn’t be there.
It was that experience that made Michael want to volunteer his time at Sunshine Hospital and he now spends a few hours each week talking to patients, checking in to ask how they’re going and have “a chin-wag” about anything from footy, to local issues, to family history.
“I remember mum saying to me ‘everybody’s got a story to tell’, and they do,” Michael said.
“Some days I come here and it’s like watching a movie, I just sit down and listen.”
It’s therapeutic for Michael as well as the patients, a “reality check” from the pressures of his busy life.
Sunshine Hospital are putting a call out for more volunteers and Michael is encouraging people to sign up. He said time can sometimes be a more valuable donation than cash.
“We’ve all got time to watch an hour of TV… it’s nothing,” Michael said.
For more information contact Jo Spence on 8345 1201.
