In celebration of International Volunteer Day – established by the United Nations 40 years ago – we shine the light on some of our volunteers at Northside and Brisbane Hospitals

St Vincent’s Private Hospitals volunteers support our patients and staff in many different ways and they fill many different roles – some of those are by a few of our furry, four-legged volunteers!

For the last four years, Pauline O’Brien and her family pet (and therapy pet), a Golden Retriever named Poppy, have been a regular feature at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane, doing the rounds of the palliative care ward, as well as the general ward. Word spreads pretty quickly among patients and especially among staff that ‘Poppy is on duty,’ where they get to pat her and cuddle her which gives new ‘paw-pose’ (purpose) to their day.

Poppy is one of three pet therapy dogs that visit St Vincent's Private Hospital Brisbane - the program is also used at some of our other hospitals and aged care facilities around the country.

Research shows consistently positive outcomes from pet therapy for patients and residents, including those receiving palliative care, helping to reduce pain, anxiety, depression, and improve mood and general well-being.

Pauline’s interest in having Poppy become a therapy dog started when she was a puppy and she would take Poppy to visit her ailing mother-in-law at her aged care facility. 

“Her demeanour changed and I could see that Poppy being around her made him calmer. So I then formerly enrolled her in a therapy dog training course but she actually didn’t need much training – she was a natural with her placid nature,” says Pauline.

“The staff also get very excited when we visit and they spoil her with pats and cuddles They work in a pretty stressful situation in the palliative care ward and they’re around a lot of grief. 

“So Poppy is a great distraction for them too. They give her hugs, they give her kisses and she’s always looking for a few treats. The interaction – just being around her, is an emotional outlet for the staff.”

But joy and reward can be a two-way street and Pauline’s visits to St Vincent’s Private Hospital are also a highlight of her week.

“From my perspective, I get enriched by the visits and it brings me my own form of joy to spend an hour of two here with Poppy,” says Pauline. 

“It’s a special thing to be able to bring joy to patients when they’re going through their palliative care journey.”

A recent visit to the hospital became the focus of an ABC TV-News story, with legendary ABC weather presenter Jenny Woodward (also a childhood friend of Pauline’s) and her cameraman Curtis, spending two hours filming Poppy and Pauline’s interactions with staff and a special visit to patient Des Mulligan.

“I know what the patient journey is like, especially for our cancer patients. Chemotherapy is the worst and anything that provides a personal moment or a chance to give your mind and emotions a break from treatment is a good thing when you’re a hospital patient,” says Aileen.

“I look forward to that part of the week where I put on my volunteers hat and when I get to be with people in the hospital who might need my support, my company - and if they’re okay with getting a hand massage I provide that. Sometimes, if they’re in the mood for it I’ll sing with them.

“I’m not sure who gets more out of the visits – me or them. It’s very rewarding. I’m a good listener. I feel good for giving something back to others, especially when you get to talk to the patients. If the moment is right, I’ll share with them that I had previously been a cancer patient.

“Often, they want to hear someone say, “Everything will be fine,” and I think it means more coming from someone like myself who has walked that road before them.”

St Vincent's Private Hospitals Queensland CEO Oli Steele says volunteers are part of the lifeblood of the everyday work and operations at St Vincent's hospitals and last year contributed over 15,000 hours of work to supporting patients, their families and staff.

“Our volunteers have good people skills and they’re genuinely interested in connecting to the patients and hearing their stories, if they wish to share it. Our volunteers get inspired by them so it’s a positive outcome for everyone,” says Mr Steele.

"It's getting more challenging each year to maintain and recruit a full team of volunteers, which I think is pretty common among all organisations that rely on volunteers.

"But we're blessed at St Vincent's to have a fantastic team of over 100 dedicated volunteers and when you have evergreen and passionate volunteers such as Aileen and Poppy and Pauline, who help out with some of our most vulnerable patients, the impact on the care and experience for those patients and their loved ones is significant."