When you can’t take the nurse out of volunteer Sue

Celebrate the individuals who give their time to support the CALHN community

Let’s be honest, it is a tough call not to feature all of CALHN’s 360 volunteers as part of National Volunteer Week. Although when you have the good fortune to meet Sue, you realise she is worth spotlighting.

Former Nurse Sue volunteers at the CALHN’s Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre as well as CALHN’s Repat Health Precinct Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit that was her own home for many months. With her stroke occurring during the COVID-19 global health pandemic, Sue knew just how isolating recovery could be, and what an important role she could play as a Volunteer.

Now, she is a shining star of the CALHN Volunteer Services Unit and Volunteer Services Coordinator KC speaks to how valuable Sue is.

“Sue goes above and beyond; she brings a unique and powerful perspective to her volunteer work. She gives me so many ideas about what the patients need that we can put into action.”

“What is so brilliant about Sue is that she can explain what this is about, what her experience was, and all the things that you and I would never even think about, Sue knows. This all helps the patient’s tremendously.”

Sue explains the challenges of realising what she missed during her rehabilitation as a result of COVID-19.

“There were no volunteers during that time, and I could only see one visitor at a time. Being on the other side now, I know how important the volunteers are.”

“I realised I couldn’t go back to Nursing after my stroke because of my fatigue. I’d nursed for 40 years though, so I used volunteering as a way to almost test the boundaries of my recovery, as well as go back to something that felt familiar to me.”

Sue shares that she has some ‘sassy’ patients, including one young girl who seems to win all the games.

“She wanted a mobile phone, and thought she might win one at bingo, but we ended up laminating a print-out of a mobile phone for her.”

“If I had all the money, I would make sure we had a house for the families of our patients so they can stay on site.”

Sue understands firsthand how challenging it is for families constantly on the move to visit their loved ones. She may not even fully realise how valuable this insight is—but KC does. KC knows that Sue’s lived experience makes a real difference in the lives of their patients.

“The best advice that Sue has shared is to treat the patient’s room as their home. Sue knows only too well what they need to help make it their home,” says KC.

Sue and KC radiate a genuine positivity that highlights the strength of a supportive team devoted to patient care. Their commitment shines not only through their interactions but also in the Repat Volunteer Services Unit, a space brimming with practical items and thoughtful comforts. From clothing, shampoo, and conditioner to puzzles, art supplies, books, and magazines, even retro games like PacMan and Space Invaders. Their dedication is clear.

Patients can even enjoy music through in-room speakers, though staff sometimes have to remind them to turn the volume down. Sue laughs as she confesses, “Yes, that was me when I was a patient!”

“But the brain injury game of choice is Uno, we play it all the time. But patients can often need someone to hold their cards. So, I found this holder made out of old CDs and fabric at a charity shop one day, I told the other volunteers and then next week I found a whole box of them made already for us.”

KC has a final word to share about how Sue goes above and beyond to support patients and families in BIRU, “Her compassion, initiative, and influence have even led to the introduction of weekend bingo and other social activities for patients, an incredible contribution that continues to make a meaningful impact.”

Sue is one of the many amazing volunteers supporting CALHN patients. We congratulate her on the recent appointment as the Dementia Care Companion, a volunteer program that has now been rolled out at both the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. This is a meaningful initiative, and Sue has embraced it with such warmth and dedication.

On behalf of all of us in CALHN and the broader South Australian community, Sue, we thank you for everything you do.

Volunteering statistics

Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH)
• 235 volunteers
• 22,730 hours of support
• Volunteer guides provided 57,316 individuals supports
• 26,994 patient visits = average of 124 patient visits daily
• Intensive Care Unit volunteers assisted over 8,000 families
• 1,832 patient laundry requests
• 2,208 patients received clothing donations
• 200 Betty Cares clothing packs to women experiencing Medical Trauma

Spiritual Care volunteers
• 876 hours of support to patients
• Supported over 4,103 patients with 547 referred to the service
• Have performed over 1,416 rituals for patients

RAH Auxiliary volunteers
• Operating SARAHs Gift shop at the RAH
• Celebrating 100 years of service at the RAH
• Over this time, they have donated over $10 million to the RAH Research Fund and the Allied Health and Social Services

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• 50 volunteers
• 500 hours of support
• 1,900 patient visits
• Donated over 385 books and magazines
• 1,000 patients received clothing donations
• Raised over $150,000 to donate back to TQEH

Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre (HRC)
• 53 volunteers
• 9,000 hours of support
• Escorted 200 patients
• Provided over 250 haircuts to patients
• HRC Kiosk volunteers have served over 11,300 patients, staff and visitors with all revenue donated to patient amenities

Health Museum volunteers (based at HRC)
• Support with a display about the Both Brothers at the Parliamentary Library
• Rearranged over 1,748 historical items (HRC and TQEH teams)
• Catalogued 171 objects

The Repat, Statewide Rehabilitation volunteers
• 27 volunteers
• 2,811 hours of support
• 1,544 patients supported with company, as well as quilts/blankets and handmade therapy tools, crafted by the newly created Sewing Team at the Repat
• 660 patients supplied with donated items
• Pet Therapy – 168 pet visits (collaboration with SALHN VollieCare).

Glenside Health Services volunteers
• 2 volunteers
• 200 hours of support to patients including:
o workouts in the Shared Activity Centre
o time with patients in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Services.