Here on the Peninsula, we are lucky to have an amazing hospital right on our doorstep, but we may not always take the time to really appreciate the many hours of work and most notably, the volunteer work that goes into having such a fantastic facility readily available to us. As a weekly volunteer and member of the board for the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation, Judy Smith knows first-hand the value of having such a tight-knit group of volunteers and staff behind and inside the hospital.
At her cozy home in Sidney, Smith spends the afternoon preparing snacks, painting fingernails and sharing laughs with her daughter, Jennifer and two of her granddaughters, Emily and Ava.
When she’s not spending time with her family, Smith volunteers much of her spare time to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation and the Palliative Care Unit.
It is easy to see why Smith brings so much passion and joy to her pastime as a palliative care volunteer; with her warm smile and nurturing personality she is the perfect fit for someone offering care and support during the transition into end-of-life care. “We’re really there for the patients, for their families and for their friends,” Smith said of herself and her fellow palliative care volunteers.
Smith’s passion and love for her position as a palliative care volunteer is obvious, and she makes it clear that this type of support and guidance during that difficult time is both greatly needed and appreciated in the hospital. “We’re there if they have no one else to be there for them. We’re there to chat with them, to read to them, to laugh with them and to even cry with them.” Although Smith is very humble about her important position in the unit, she has no problem recognizing the other people in the hospital who make it all work. “I have to say, it’s such a privilege and a pleasure to work with all of the volunteers in the hospital and all of the members of the Sannich Peninsula Hospital Foundation,” Smith said.
When the maternity ward was removed from Saanich Peninsula Hospital, it was replaced with the renovated, 10-bed Palliative Care Unit in 2004. Smith, who has been volunteering at Saanich Peninsula Hospital for more than a decade, took the palliative care training at Royal Jubilee Hospital to become a palliative care volunteer, and has since been volunteering there at least once a week.
“It’s all about being part of an integrated care formula — the volunteers are working with the patients, the families and the doctors to provide the best care possible. It’s all about feeling like you’re a part of a team,” Smith said.
When asked about what working in the Palliative Care Unit has brought into her life, Smith said it has made her wiser, more caring and has also “honed wonderful listening skills on my part.”
Before her work as a palliative care volunteer, Smith worked as a social worker in Alberta, an interior plant designer and has also given other volunteer organizations her time like the BC Museum board, and the International Foundation for the Arts, she has also spent time canvassing for various causes like cancer and diabetes. Smith, a true believer in supporting not only local charity initiatives but global ones, also donates (with a group of about eight people), to an organization named Kiva which connects people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. With her group, Smith has most recently chosen to support a family in the Dominican Republic and is looking forward to seeing the progress their candidate will make in the future with the help of the loan they have given.
Apart from giving her time to the Palliative Care Unit, the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation and her family, Smith also gives her time to the Sidney Rotary Club where she is a current member, secretary and past president.
If you are interested in, or would like more information on volunteering for the Saanich Peninsula Hospital or VIHA, please visit VIHA’s volunteering webpage at www.viha.ca/volunteer_resources.