Volunteerism is one of the cornerstones of the Drumheller community. Resident Eileen Gallagher is no exception.
Each Tuesday, Gallagher, a semi-retired cashier at Riverside Value Drug Mart, makes the trip to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary to volunteer. Her job is somewhat a little unusual, but makes a world of difference to those who work at and are patients of the hospital.
“I am what is known as a Unit Volunteer. We relieve the nurses of having to pacify the young babies, because they don’t have the time to sit and cuddle them when they are fussing or unhappy. We also assist the nurses with bottle feeding and changing the babies,” said Gallagher.
The Alberta Children’s Hospital has patients as young as newborns. Many of them have conditions that require constant medical supervision. Some are even afflicted with cancer and are in palliative care.
“I consider it a great opportunity. Some of these babies are anywhere from days old and up. The unit I’m on deals with little ones who have digestive issues, some of which are quite serious. We also take care of babies with respiratory issues, some of them are fitted with a trachea tube,” said Gallagher.
For some of the children, their parents can’t be around the whole time. The cuddlers help give the children some needed human contact.
“A lot of times the parents of these little patients are working or they have other young children at home, so it can be difficult for them to find the time to come to the hospital on a regular basis. Most of the parents are extremely thankful, knowing their little one isn’t just in a crib and only checked on when an alarm sounds,” said Gallagher.
Volunteering as a cuddler has been something Gallagher has wanted to do for some time. Since she semi-retired, she has been able to find the time to help and started in August 2011.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for so many years. There was no call locally….so I pursued it in Calgary. I did the training, RCMP check, got all my vaccines, and away I went,” said Gallagher.
Before she started, Gallagher had to undergo extensive training. Volunteers must know how to care for the children, different medical conditions, and hospital codes.
Some volunteers have been there for years. One lady in particular has been a cuddler for 17 years. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact the Alberta Children’s Hospital volunteer resources at 403-955-7997.
Gallagher hopes to keep volunteering each Tuesday.
“If you miss a week, like in my case because of weather conditions, you feel like you’ve really missed something,” said Gallagher. “Rewarding doesn’t describe the feeling properly.”
