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	<title>Meet Some of Our Volunteers</title>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/carols-story_261s35</link>
<title><![CDATA[Carol&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Biography, Palliative Paws &amp; Ambassador

I was on the verge of retiring from teaching when my husband, Norm, had a cardiac arrest. We had been planning to retire together, do the grey nomad treks and so many other things.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Biography, Palliative Paws &amp; Ambassador

I was on the verge of retiring from teaching when my husband, Norm, had a cardiac arrest. We had been planning to retire together, do the grey nomad treks and so many other things. 

All of a sudden I became a carer for him and had to watch him go through the next 10 years in a care home.  I was struggling and spent a lot of my time crying with having to cope with it all.

My friend, Pauline, was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  She was married to Alan and one day she rang me and said,

&lsquo;I have the perfect job for you&rsquo;.

She proceeded to tell me about the volunteer biography program at EPC.

&lsquo;I think Alan would love it too&rsquo;, she went on to say.

I thought she was mad, given all I was dealing with, to suggest I then go and use my little free time working with dying people.  Over the weekend, I then heard EPC&rsquo;s Volunteer Services Consultant being interviewed about the biography program on ABC 774 radio.  It all was pointing in the same direction.

I made contact and went for an interview with them, fully expecting them to tell me to go away and sort my life out. But they took a risk on me and here I am all these years later, working in the best role I have ever experienced.  It is so life affirming.

I now work in three of the volunteer programs that EPC offers.

Biography

My first client was not sure where to start her story.  I was brand new and I didn&rsquo;t know either so I said, &lsquo;Tell me about your Mum&rsquo;.  Well that was the only question I had to ask.  She was a natural story teller.

Another client would only answer in one word answers and I thought,

&lsquo;I can&rsquo;t write a biography of one word things&rsquo;.

EPC has a journal they developed called Quirky Questions and they suggested I use that.  The first question was,

&lsquo;Have you ever broken any bones?&rsquo;

I thought that was a silly question but not having any other ideas I went with it.  Straight away he said,

&lsquo;Oh yes, there was the time my sister&hellip;.&rsquo; and away he went.  He just needed something to hook onto and then the stories flowed out beautifully.

I had another client who had gone through the Chinese purging of the landlords period, when the Communists took over.  That story was mind blowing and he really needed to get that out.

And then there are clients who have mingled with royalty, danced on the world stages of ballet and so much more.

Palliative Paws

I love animals and the thought of getting my daily exercise done while walking someone else&rsquo;s dog is a good one.  The clients are often too sick to be able to do that themselves and they and their dogs get highly stressed because of it.   Often the dogs are sitting and panting by the front door waiting for me to turn up &ndash; they know what day it is.

One lady said to me,

&lsquo;They want me to go to hospital for my symptoms but I can&rsquo;t. I can&rsquo;t leave my dog.  He needs me.&rsquo;

He was a beautiful blonde Labrador and she died soon after she told me this.

The last set of dogs I walked were too old chocolate Labradors.  I thought that two at once might be too much but they were used to walking together, were very slow and gentle and really well behaved.  Their owner was a young adult and being able to assist by simply walking her dogs, was a definite privilege.

Ambassador

I am also a part of the Ambassador team for EPC. We go out to meetings large and small to speak about the work of the organisation.  We want to let them know we are there, we have lots of programs to offer to support people and their families, we are free and we cover a huge area (Kew through to the Yarra Valley).

The end of my story is that my husband and my best friend Pauline died.  As couples, Alan and Pauline, Norm and I, had been good friends since our children were all small.  12 months ago I married Alan and he is also now a volunteer in the biography program.  What Pauline directed us to do is complete and we do this work in honour of her and of Norm.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
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<pubDate>07 Dec 2021 04:35:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/helens-story_261s34</link>
<title><![CDATA[Helen&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Bereavement and Biography

I have always been a very energetic person and loved working. As my professional life began to wind down I started looking for some meaningful work to fill the gap.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Bereavement and Biography

I have always been a very energetic person and loved working. As my professional life began to wind down I started looking for some meaningful work to fill the gap.

After some research into volunteering, I came to the realisation that a lot of organisations required set days and times which did not suit my way of working.

At the same time I became a carer for my elder sister who had a terminal disease. It was while I was with her that I was introduced to the work being done by EPC.

Even though she was a client for a very short time I was so impressed by what I saw of this organisation, by their dedication and gentleness that I decided to find out more. I completed my training in 2013 and have thoroughly enjoyed, and still enjoy, my involvement in the biography and bereavement programs.

I find the biography writing tremendously rewarding. Even though you are aware that the client is in the last stage of their life, you cannot help but notice the difference it makes to them as they tell their story and relive some of their life experiences. You hear some fascinating life stories and at times I have to tip toe around a topic and suggest either leaving it out or rewording it to soften it for the readers.

It is very humbling to be given such trust. I find that I walk away thinking,

 &lsquo;This person is a complete stranger and I am a complete stranger and yet they trust me implicitly to tell me their life story.&rsquo;

The only difficulty I face is that once the biography is completed you have to walk away. In a lot of cases you connect really well with the family and it is tough when they want to continue seeing you.  But as part of our role we need to disconnect to be ready to meet and work with the next person.

Likewise, the bereavement program is a wonderful lesson to me in how other people deal with grief and loss. So many people have such varied attitudes to death and dying and how they deal with it.  I have learnt so much about myself and the cycle of life.

In society, once someone is buried, the unspoken expectation is that everyone moves on.  But for the bereaved person that is just not the case and they lose the chance to talk about what happened.  This is where my role of a bereavement companion comes in to play.  I am not a family member and not someone they have to worry about offending. So for the bereaved person it is very liberating to have a conversation where they can be free &ndash; to speak their mind, to revisit the story of the death and talk about the person they love who is not with them anymore. I have watched this dynamic a number of times and it seems to be very liberating for people &ndash; once they have talked it all through they seem to be able to move forward a little further.  Our role is a bridge between what was, what is and what will be to come.  A safe place to work some of that out.

As far as the organisation goes, it is second to none. Their continued support and training is just amazing. One thing that is very important to me is that although you must meet the commitment you made, it can be in your own timeframe.  My weekly volunteering hours can fit comfortably around all my other work.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
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<pubDate>09 Nov 2021 04:34:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/jans-story_261s33</link>
<title><![CDATA[Jan&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Administration

My friend went through the difficult experience of her husband dying.  She told me how supportive EPC had been for them through that time. I trained as a nurse in NZ in the 80s and worked a lot in the Children&rsquo;s Hospital. 
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Administration

My friend went through the difficult experience of her husband dying.  She told me how supportive EPC had been for them through that time. I trained as a nurse in NZ in the 80s and worked a lot in the Children&rsquo;s Hospital.  I then had 2 boys and we owned our own business for a number of years through the 90s.

In 2016, with adult children and not working in the business any longer I decided I would volunteer with EPC.  Initially that was in their community and transport team.  It was so nice to take off my nursing hat and yet still be able to use my skills of empathy and support.  After a few years I transitioned to a new team, where I have really found my niche, working as an admin volunteer.

The staff at EPC are very busy and there are a lot of ways admin volunteers are able to help.  One of my key roles is to enter data which is required for government reporting.  Every time a volunteer or staff member interacts with a client it needs to be logged on to a report.  There are 220 volunteers at EPC that work with clients and each month a group of 4 of us sit and manually enter all of that information.

I also assist with making up folders for the bereavement staff.  They need those to give to people who attend our bereavement sessions to remind them of all that EPC has in place to support them through those 13 months after the death of their loved one.

I have worked on the massive newsletter mailouts that occur 4 times a year.  There are thousands of letters that have to be sent out and it would cost EPC a lot of money to pay for what the volunteers are able to do for them.  We have a group of about 20 of us gather and knock it all over in one morning with lots of laughter, chatter, catching up and food.

The other admin role I have done was going to clients and their carers and taking them through a survey.  It is a regular activity EPC does to ensure we are offering the best possible care and to see if the clients or carers have suggestions they want to make to us. That was a great experience to be a part of because people were profoundly pleased with the service they received, and really enjoyed the opportunity to feed that back in.

Covid-19 has certainly interrupted almost all of what I could do with EPC.  Due to restrictions and the inability to take a lot of this private information away from the office I have had to wait.  But EPC has swung other things in to place to keep the volunteers connected with each other, with staff and with the organisation.  There was the &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve got this&rsquo; campaign where a volunteer and staff member were linked to support each other, Masterclasses where talented volunteers taught others through Zoom, fortnightly &lsquo;Coffee with the CoV&ndash;ids&rsquo; sessions which focused on education for us, volunteers even making masks and scrubs for the clinical staff to assist with the provision of PPE.

Volunteering with EPC has been a very rewarding experience. There are so many opportunities to assist in various roles within the organisation that there is something for everyone. And there is a real sense of community amongst us all. Probably even more so with what 2020 has thrown at us.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/jans-story_261s33</guid>
<pubDate>05 Oct 2021 04:33:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/nicole39s-story_261s38</link>
<title><![CDATA[Nicole&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Palliative Paws

I have been a volunteer with EPC as part of the Palliative Paws program for just over a year.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Palliative Paws

I have been a volunteer with EPC as part of the Palliative Paws program for just over a year. I know what a difference dogs can make to a person&rsquo;s mental health and wellbeing, especially for the isolated elderly and unwell, so I jumped at the chance to be part of EPC as a dog walker.

While I expected to enjoy spending time with the canine clients, I did not expect to be so struck by the kindness, strength and grace of the human ones. I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful families that I will not forget, who have taught me a lot about resilience and compassion. What is unsurprisingly most difficult is the inevitable departure with both humans and dogs that you grow fond of. On a smaller scale, it can also be challenging arranging visits since clients can have a lot to coordinate with other doctors, volunteers and visitors. As a full time worker myself, there can also be meetings to work around at my end. It is a little tricky to find the right balance between reliability and flexibility.

If there is one good thing to come out of COVID19, I hope it is a return to community focus and greater flexibility for everyone to better balance work, family, leisure time and volunteering and enable more people to become involved in volunteer programs such as those offered by EPC.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/nicole39s-story_261s38</guid>
<pubDate>06 Sep 2021 01:14:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/chris39s-story_261s39</link>
<title><![CDATA[Chris&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Bereavement Information Sessions

In planning a new direction in life on retirement I answered an ad in the local paper for volunteers to provide transport for Eastern Palliative Care.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Bereavement Information Sessions

In planning a new direction in life on retirement I answered an ad in the local paper for volunteers to provide transport for Eastern Palliative Care.

Completing the training over eight weeks was a good introduction to the coordinators &amp; fellow trainees, all of whom seemed a lovely mob to do business with. After 40 years in the construction industry it was a breath of fresh air to be dealing with such realistic, caring people.

This was the start of a 10 year run with volunteering at EPC.

I commenced duties soon after training in the Home Support role, providing company to clients and/or respite to carers.

Clients welcomed having a new face to discuss their life experiences with and carers took advantage to shop, catch up with friends or attend exercise classes.

It is a privilege as a stranger to be invited into their home and to be trusted with the intimate details of their lives.

I also participated in the &lsquo;Walking through Grief&rsquo; program, acting as a &lsquo;shepherd&rsquo; alongside clients who were grieving &amp; who were enjoying the opportunity to meet people in a similar position.

This led to me volunteering for the Bereavement Information Sessions where we assist in setting up for the session &amp; joining in the discussion if needed.

One of the most rewarding volunteer jobs I&rsquo;ve done is as a Home Support Volunteer for a client in bereavement.

Of course, in amongst all of these roles I&rsquo;ve also transported clients to medical appointments.

A big factor in my enjoyment of being an EPC volunteer has been the support &amp; organisation of the volunteer coordinators who make you feel appreciated &amp; important.

Being a member of the EPC volunteer fraternity has been an absolute pleasure. We catch up at monthly forums &amp; at regular network meetings.

My experiences as a volunteer with EPC has been very rewarding, and I would warmly recommend it to others who feel they would like to be part of a team working to help clients in palliative care.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/chris39s-story_261s39</guid>
<pubDate>09 Aug 2021 01:16:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/christine39s-story_261s40</link>
<title><![CDATA[Christine&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Biography

When I retired from a corporate career, I first volunteered at Holmesglen TAFE helping migrants with their English and whilst that was interesting work, it didn&rsquo;t offer the satisfaction and rewards that come with being a volunteer biographer at EPC.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Biography

When I retired from a corporate career, I first volunteered at Holmesglen TAFE helping migrants with their English and whilst that was interesting work, it didn&rsquo;t offer the satisfaction and rewards that come with being a volunteer biographer at EPC.

You see it&rsquo;s not just the pleasure in meeting new people and learning about their life. It&rsquo;s the confidence you are given through EPC&rsquo;s specialist training to go into a client&rsquo;s home during the last stages of their life to share and record their memories.

Most biographers at EPC work autonomously. We manage our own time and workload including putting together the final biography, but I always feel secure that support by the volunteer coordinators is always there should I need it.

There are times though when it can be particularly challenging and confronting. For example, when you are given a client with a young family, or when the client is unable to speak English or is unable to speak at all because of Motor Neurone Disease and you have to rely on a family member to translate for them.

I have been volunteering for Eastern Palliative Care now for seven years. Over that time I have learnt a great deal from the clients I have met and gained considerable joy and fulfillment in creating a wonderful legacy for them, their family and friends.

Eastern Palliative Care has a well-earned reputation as a leader in its field and it is a privilege to volunteer for this organisation. I&rsquo;d love you to volunteer with EPC too.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/christine39s-story_261s40</guid>
<pubDate>06 Jul 2021 01:19:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/ian39s-story_261s41</link>
<title><![CDATA[Ian&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Home Support &amp; Transport

In April 2009 I lost my wife Eleanor to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. She was cared for by EPC.  What was I going to do with my life now? My three children were all married and had children of their own. The financial, legal, and personal affairs were in order, I had retired during my wife&rsquo;s treatments.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Home Support &amp; Transport

In April 2009 I lost my wife Eleanor to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. She was cared for by EPC.  What was I going to do with my life now? My three children were all married and had children of their own. The financial, legal, and personal affairs were in order, I had retired during my wife&rsquo;s treatments.

In July a phone call came from Tricia at EPC asking how I was, and offering two different grief groups to assist me &ndash; &lsquo;Walking through grief&rsquo; and &lsquo;Talking through grief&rsquo;. I took the plunge and joined both groups, and found people to share my grief with.

My time with these groups finished in 2010 and I realised that I wanted to do more, so I decided to volunteer with EPC.

I enjoyed the training I was given and was offered a place in the home support and transport team. Since then I have transported clients to hospitals, visited clients to give carers time out, told my story at groups supporting other carers and been involved with various sub-committees.

I can still remember a lot of the clients that I have worked with. They ranged in age from mid-20&rsquo;s to early 90&rsquo;s, and were from many different ethnic groups.  Each one had an interesting life-story and history.

I have many happy memories including when my EPC volunteer team won the award from the Father Bob Foundation.

I find Eastern Palliative Care a great place to volunteer. They are very supportive and appreciate the efforts we make.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/ian39s-story_261s41</guid>
<pubDate>15 Jun 2021 01:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/pauline39s-story_261s42</link>
<title><![CDATA[Pauline&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER AS A VOLUNTEER WITH EPC

75 years &ndash; a great age &ndash; fit, healthy, younger husband &ndash; everything was looking really great and still working.  Retirement plans were looming, but what would I do? My usual exercise, gardening, walking etc. was not going to be enough to keep me busy.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER AS A VOLUNTEER WITH EPC

75 years &ndash; a great age &ndash; fit, healthy, younger husband &ndash; everything was looking really great and still working.  Retirement plans were looming, but what would I do? My usual exercise, gardening, walking etc. was not going to be enough to keep me busy.

A friend at my gym who was about to retire told me she was to begin training as a biographer with EPC.  Wow &ndash; I was stoked at the prospect of using my computer skills and techniques! Perfect! I had no idea EPC offered biography to clients! I followed up and found out that they ran an intake of volunteers who they trained each year! I applied, was accepted and began training one day a week for 8-9 weeks. I remained working three days a week and trained one.

Volunteering is nothing like I imagined! The world is your oyster if you wish to follow this path, with so many choices. Dog walking, transport, community support worker, smile makers, hairdressing, and the list goes on and on! I chose biography &ndash; I really did want to keep up my skills on the computer; formatting, transcribing and photo editing.

I have done five biographies &ndash; not all of them have been completed because the client may have passed away, all different circumstances. However it is extremely rewarding. You give so much to the client but what you gain is immeasurable. It is a wonderful gift from which both you and your client benefit.   Everyone is unique and everyone has their own story!

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/pauline39s-story_261s42</guid>
<pubDate>10 May 2021 01:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<item>
<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/vishruti39s-story_261s43</link>
<title><![CDATA[Vishruti&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Biography 

A beautiful summer morning saw me, a mum with three children make my way into the local library to collect some books. Little did I know that I was going to stumble and make it a part of the dance of my life.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[ 

Team: Biography 

A beautiful summer morning saw me, a mum with three children make my way into the local library to collect some books. Little did I know that I was going to stumble and make it a part of the dance of my life.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the advertisement for the role of a biographer for Eastern Palliative Care. The memories of me sitting at the bedside of my father as he took his last breath came rushing through and yet I was helplessly drawn to initiate contact with EPC. I have often wondered what drew me into wanting to be a biographer for a person at end of life stage. Was I willing to re-live the pain, the loss and the experience of loneliness or did I innately resonate with the words of Bruce Rumbold&rsquo;s book titled &lsquo;Dying as a Spiritual Quest&rsquo;? A theme echoing through spiritual literature of all religions is that a spiritual journey begins with a call that must be answered.

An intensive, well structured and in depth 12 week training course, filled with sensitive humour and support was offered to all volunteers as they choose to embark on their roles in a society that conspires to keep death at the margins of our awareness. Listening to my clients narratives, I began to lose myself and in that process began a journey of discovering myself. At no point in the beginning had I ever contemplated that giving away of ourselves could translate into such a life giving experience.

A journey that began as a biographer for EPC has been instrumental in informing my vocation as a Pastoral/Spiritual Practitioner companioning those at the end of their earthly pilgrimage. If I could describe my experience of volunteering at EPC, I would say it has deepened my spiritual discipline. As Guru Nanak, the tenth Sikh guru expressed, &ldquo;Let the devotee serve in such a way that he dedicates his life to the One to whom he belongs.&rdquo;  With immense gratitude in my heart I would like to thank you: Krystal, Nikki and Pen for your encouragement and support as I continue my journey of learning to listen more deeply offering a ministry of presence with grounded love.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/vishruti39s-story_261s43</guid>
<pubDate>13 Apr 2021 01:22:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/rosemary39s-story_261s44</link>
<title><![CDATA[Rosemary&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Biography 

Retirement brings time to do interesting and worthwhile things. My role at EPC enables me to achieve this.
]]></description>
<content><![CDATA[Team: Biography 

Retirement brings time to do interesting and worthwhile things. My role at EPC enables me to achieve this.

I have always been interested in family histories. Over the years I had put together booklets about my family and forebears for both my husband&rsquo;s and my own family, full of collected facts, stories and photos.

A friend suggested that I write biographies for EPC. This sounded perfect &ndash; although at first, I was a little worried about the palliative care aspect, not having had much experience in that area, apart from when my mother was ill and died. But I strongly felt it was something that I could do. Mostly for the clients of course, but if I&rsquo;m honest, also for myself.

The best thing about volunteering with EPC has been that I have been privileged to meet and record the life stories of twelve people. For me it has been a lesson in how the human spirit shines through. I have learned a great deal about what is important to us as humans, and what ultimately matters to people when they are facing the end of life.

The stories I have been told have been full of humour, struggle, pathos and love. Always interesting and sometimes startling. I have loved hearing them, sometimes through tears and often with laughter.

There has been so much I have learned, not just about personal lives, but also about the social history of our country. There have been stories of immigration, struggles through the Depression years, lives lived in the country and in the city, and lives lived adapting to cultural difference. Without exception, these have been fascinating.

I have been entrusted with deeply personal and emotional stories. Sometimes these are not included in the end, but the benefit for the client in telling the stories is something that I am glad about.

Often, I have seen a lift in mood during one of our sessions &ndash; a change in body language and tone of voice. Sometimes people feel very ill and may not want to have the interview, but once they get started the words flow and memories flood in. Sometimes they haven&rsquo;t thought of something for years! They can become quite animated, even though ill.

The most challenging thing about volunteering with EPC is that lovely people die. It has been sad at times.

I have found that it is important to take care of myself. I take a step back and remind myself that each person was nearing death before I met them. The time I spent with them was just a part of that leaving. My role is not to change that, but to try to somehow ease the passing for them and for those they are leaving. It is not about me. It is not my family.

I continue with EPC because it feels really worthwhile.

Sign Up to Become a Volunteer with EPC
]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/rosemary39s-story_261s44</guid>
<pubDate>09 Mar 2021 01:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/dennis39s-story_261s45</link>
<title><![CDATA[Dennis&#39;s Story]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Transport and Palliative Paws

At the moment I&rsquo;m volunteering at EPC in the areas of Transport and Palliative Paws (dog walking). 
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<content><![CDATA[Team: Transport and Palliative Paws

What is your role at EPC?

At the moment I&rsquo;m volunteering at EPC in the areas of Transport and Palliative Paws (dog walking).  Dog walking usually takes about an hour per week while transport can be variable.  This week I had two transport sessions and both of them took about three hours.  Often with the longer ones I sit and have a coffee while I wait for my client to be ready to go.

Why did you decide to volunteer at EPC?

Before I retired, I was a teacher for 35 years and would speak to say, 200 people a day, while when I retired I would only talk to one or two people a day.  So, getting out and meeting with people is good for me.  My partner, Leanne, has been volunteering at EPC as a Community Support volunteer for the past 15 years.  She also waters the indoor plants at EPC and does some dog walking. I decided to volunteer at EPC as I had heard quite a bit about it from Leanne. You could say I was dragged into it by her!

What is the best thing you have found about volunteering?

It&rsquo;s worthwhile in itself doing the work, plus the doggy walking is good exercise! I meet a lot of interesting people from young to old, and they all have a story to tell. Some of their stories are really interesting.  At times communication can be difficult, either due to illness or language challenges. Sometimes I meet the family as well.

Has there been anything that surprised you or that&rsquo;s been really challenging?

Some of my clients are really unwell, and you may have to guide them a bit. It can be sad because things aren&rsquo;t going well for them.  And the fact that some clients might die soon &ndash; for example I visited a client and then, three days later, he died.  That&rsquo;s a difficult part of the role.

Why do you continue to work with EPC?

I just want to keep going &ndash; and, as I said before, it&rsquo;s a good thing to do.  I&rsquo;ve been doing this work for 1 &frac12; years now &ndash; I guess I&rsquo;m still a bit of a new chum &ndash; and I enjoy catching up with a couple of other fellows who volunteer, as part of a peer support group.

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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/dennis39s-story_261s45</guid>
<pubDate>16 Feb 2021 01:24:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<link>https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/anne-pam39s-stories_261s46</link>
<title><![CDATA[Anne &amp; Pam&#39;s Stories]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Team: Community Support

What brought you to volunteer with EPC? Anne: I saw that EPC needed volunteers and thought oh, I&rsquo;d like to do that! so I applied. I have a nursing background and knew the work wouldn&rsquo;t faze me too much.
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<content><![CDATA[Team: Community Support

What brought you to volunteer with EPC?

Anne: I saw that EPC needed volunteers and thought oh, I&rsquo;d like to do that! so I applied. I have a nursing background and knew the work wouldn&rsquo;t faze me too much.

Pam: Anne was telling me about EPC and, as I also am a retired nurse, I thought, I&rsquo;ll apply too. So here we are!  We were both in the same training group and now we support each other.

What&rsquo;s the best thing about volunteering with EPC?

Anne: Well, I think the staff are just fantastic, they give us so much back-up when we have problems. I&rsquo;ve never come across an organisation that offers such consistent support for our welfare.

Pam: I agree. A lot of people ask, how can you do this work? But I just love going out to families and feeling that I am contributing in some way, plus their carers get some much needed time out. And clients are so trusting of us because at the beginning we are just strangers who walk into their house.

What are the challenging aspects?

Anne: One day, my client sat there enjoying his Minties &shy;&ndash; he was trying to get me to eat them &ndash; and I said, &lsquo;Oh no! They are your favourites!&rsquo; After my visit I asked his son, &lsquo;When would you like me to come back? He said, &lsquo;Maybe next week.&rsquo; I rang and was told he had died the night before.

Pam: We have to throw our &lsquo;nursing hats&rsquo; away but we are happy to be volunteers.

Anne: I had a younger client who liked me to take her out shopping but, after a while, I could see that her condition was deteriorating. One day she gave me a big hug and said, &lsquo;I want you to come to my funeral because my family are going to have a big party.&rsquo; She actually rang EPC and thanked every member of staff who had looked after her.

Why do you continue?

Pam: On fine days one of my clients would say in his strong Swedish accent,  &lsquo;Pam, let&rsquo;s go out!&rsquo; He&rsquo;d been a bricklayer and built his own beautiful house. Going down the streets he&rsquo;d say, &lsquo;Pam, just look at that house!&rsquo; and we would critique the brickwork. It was hilarious. You learn a lot through your clients. I had another client who wanted to go lawn bowling. I said,  &lsquo;I&rsquo;m not a bowler, I have no idea how to play!&rsquo; but my volunteer coordinator reassured me that my client didn&rsquo;t either. A man who was watching us &lsquo;trying to play&rsquo; came up and asked, &lsquo;What are you doing here?&rsquo; &lsquo;We are training for the Olympics!&rsquo;  I informed him. &lsquo;But who are you, really?&rsquo; he insisted. We told him we were from EPC and then he showed us how to play properly and we had such a great time!

Anne: I would sit with my lovely client and watch the worst TV shows ever &ndash; like Storage Wars and all this stuff about catching caribou in Canada. She virtually sat in a chair and didn&rsquo;t move. I was going on holiday and thinking I don&rsquo;t think she&rsquo;ll be here when I get back.  My client knew that and when I went to say goodbye to her she stood up, took my hand and thanked me. Her husband sent a letter, written from the heart, saying he really appreciated that he had been able to go out for a few hours whilst I sat with his wife and watched TV with her.

Pam: I had a client who didn&rsquo;t speak much English.  She was a very proud woman who didn&rsquo;t originally want me in the house but needed respite. Her daughter went shopping and said, &lsquo;Thank heavens you&rsquo;ve come!&rsquo; &ndash; her mum was a strong person but I got on with her like a house on fire. When her daughter came home we were laughing and her daughter commented, &lsquo;Mum hasn&rsquo;t laughed the whole time I&rsquo;ve been staying here!&rsquo;

Anne: I just love it. If I didn&rsquo;t do the work I would really miss it. I help with driving people to their medical appointments too. They really appreciate the service and we always have a laugh. We often have a great bond.

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]]></content>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://epcvic.org.au/meet-our-volunteers/anne-pam39s-stories_261s46</guid>
<pubDate>11 Jan 2021 01:25:00 GMT</pubDate>
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