Radiography student, 21-year-old Brendon, volunteers at HammondCare’s Greenwich Hospital. We asked him for his top five tips for volunteering and how it makes a difference to his life and those he supports.
My mum Janet and I share similar values with HammondCare; she was already working within the organisation, and has always loved her job and felt supported by her team. So that was a good sign for me, too. I was brought up to respect and value older people. I helped look after my grandmother; volunteering expands on that experience and I feel I can benefit the lives of other people from my time with her.
I have volunteered before, with our local P&C group, and know the value of giving back, of community engagement. I was drawn to the possibilities of new experiences that volunteering in a hospital environment could provide. And being a radiography student, I thought I may be able to share some of the learnings from my chosen area of study.
My volunteering role has forced me to step outside my comfort zone, providing opportunities for personal growth, and learning new things. It’s good for me to move beyond my normal circle of friends and my culture, to experience something different and support people to live their best life; it’s been an unexpected bonus.
My mum thinks I am a better person for volunteering – more accommodating, patient and understanding of others. She says she’s seen positive changes in me. I’m more helpful at home! I think it’s been character building in that way. I’ve become more mindful of other people’s needs.
I’ve met a range of people I would not have otherwise come across – patients and team members of very different backgrounds and circumstances, each with their own stories.
I’ve done a range of volunteering roles at Greenwich Hospital – no two days are the same. For example: I’ve helped patients in the rehabilitation and palliative care wards with the postal vote process for the recent State election; I read a newspaper article about the earthquake in Turkey to another patient who is sight impaired and wanted to keep up to date with the rescue operation.
Volunteering is a two-way street. I made a special friendship with a palliative care patient, who used to work behind the scenes in a newsroom on TV. We enjoyed great conversations while I accompanied him on his walks around the hospital garden. It broke my heart when he died, but I am grateful for the time we had together, and that I was able to make a difference in his life, too.
I encourage anyone thinking of volunteering to take the leap, stepping outside of your comfort zone. The rewards are many! And people may be surprised, like I was, by the opportunities volunteering can bring.