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8 - The Canadien Champion, Tueailay, Mercis 7, 2000 487 Laurier Ave., 88281 D 'Junior volunteers always wrliing to help By LISA CARTWRIGHT Thse Champion When the patient care manager at Milton District Hospital (MDH) gave the junior volunteers -- formerly known as candy stripers - the patients' wish list, the 21 vol- unteers choose to buy a bingo machine. The machine arrived on the chronic care wing in January, and * every Monday for the ias four weeks older aduits have been plsying up a storm. On February 23, Elaine Bumns, patient care manager for chronic care, thanked the junior volunteers for their hard work in raising money for the machine. The bingo machine is not only good for improving older aduits' amali motor skiiis, it's aso "good for iheir memories,' Ms Bums said ai an infonnai presentation to the junior volunteers. "They wili remember the (gift) and ihey wii remember you." Ms Burns said the junior volunteers are an integrai part of the chronic care floor. She said older aduits enjoy the interaction with the young volunteers, and nurses appreciate their hard work. The junior volunteers ai MDH work eiiher in the gift shop or on the chronic care tloor. People who work in the gifi shop muai be 16 years old and undergo retail training. The volunteers who work in Use chronic care floor have to be 14 years of age and older and are responsi- hie for making flower arrangements, siocking items, preparing food, collecting and delivering meal trsys, helping feed older adulis and visiting. Each junior volunteer goes through an extensive two-hour Standardized Feeding Certificate and Emergency Procedure t course. The volunteers leam everything fromn how 10 work hospi- bal beda and wheelchairs 10, patient safety and how 10 feed older adulis. "I can't stress the importance of interaction enough," said Misty Hobhs, acting director of the junior volunteers. "It reaily heipa the patients. lits good to, have Use young ones work with Use older ones." Ms Hobbs said the volunteers are easy to work with. 'They are a good bunch of young aduita. They are eager. They are always wiiling 10 help." Even îhough standents muai now volunteer for a minimum of 40 hours in order 10 receive their high achool dipioma, Ms Hobbs said the young adulis who volunteer on the chronic care floor are doing il because îhey enjoy il. "We have some interesiing conversations" wiih the older aduits, ssid Melissa Sweetman, 17, who became a junior volun- teer iwo yeara ago aler hier sisier told her il was finin. "You give ihis one lady yogurt wiih bernies and she apits them out semass the room." Tenille Lou-Hing, 17, ataried voiunieering three years go and said she reaily likes il. "lIt's good jusi 10 come and viait with Use patients. Ii's good experience, especialiy if you are going mbt the field of medi- cine." Junior volunteers are required 10 donsie a minimum of one, one-and-a-haif hour shifts esch week, but Ms Hobs said mont give more. She said in a year and a haif, one volunteer had accumulaied Photo by GRAHAM PAINE -Older adulte on the chronic care wlng at Milton District Hospitai love ueing the bingo machine recentiy purchaeed by the junior volunteere. Here (from ieft), Melsa Sweetman and Tenilie Lou-Hing heip hospitai resident Ruby Moore play the game. 156 hours, while in a year, another had volunteered 109. Volunteers only have to work from 4 10 5:30 p.m., but many comne in during the day on their Mareh Break or summer vacation. Tlhey also help during bingo and other speciai evenis. Volunteers even came in Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Ms Hobbs said. But junior volunteers are getting more experience than just working ai the hospital. They have the opportunity to, attend con- ferences, and ail of themn ait on a board. The Junior Council was formed lasi September to give the vol- unteers an opportunity tu raise money for items that can he used on the chronic care floor for both entertainmeni and simulation purposes. "It hopsts the moral for chronic care," Ms Hobbs said. The bingo machine was the firsi purchase the counicil made. "It was a huge success. They really worked hard. They set a goal and they reached the goal," Ms Hobbs said. Thse volunteers raised money hy hosiing a bake sale ai the 1Ilth annual Christmas Communiiy Bazaar ai Milton Mail in November. The volunteers baked everyihing ihemselves, spent six hours the night before packaging everything, and worked the sale. The volunteers raiaed more than $200 for the bingo machine. Junior volunteer Couitney Bambart, 14, said the sale was a lot of work, but fun too. "It was fun and way worih it," she said. "The bingo machine made (older adulis) more alert," Ms Hobbs said. 'They are more excited now. More patients want to do il." The junior volunteers are in the process of deciding what type of fundraiser to do next. Ail the money goes to, the chronic care floor to purchase items to simulate their mind and their bodies, Ms Hobbs said. The wish ui she received in November included giant face cards îo improve facial expressions, a variety of CDs including big band and war music and Mr. Bean videos. Not only does it stimulate, it also, triggers their memories and improves fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, Ms Hobbs said. "It shows them people are paying attention to them and ihey are noijuat sitting there doing nothing ail day. Elsine (Bums) bold me there is an activity going every single day just bo get them going. It stimulating their minda and their bodies." Candy stripers first appeared at MDH in 1966. Several mem- bers of the original group stili keep in contact with each other, including Linda Collins, formerly Linda Servos, who staried vol- unteering in 1967 and is now an emergency nurse at MDH. "'Il gave me a bit of an inside look of whab goes on in (a hospi- taI). It's still great experience even if you aren't going into nuirs- ing." If anyone would like 10 volunteer they can eaul Milton District Hospital at 878-2383. Both maies and femnales are needed. ¶IIiNP~ P'~COGECO 14 Programming Schedule - March 7th, 2000 -Marcis l3th, 2000 5JOiO1JM SUM90M 7.%p .9s C~LW! 56.0p N L Sm~ 4JtM TsLoc Se 55,tJOl3tpn o Pge ' www.cogeco.ca 7» heb K 1» C*m SpIs 1 70 N M~ lVe L 6Ss 5J cSemeAa * tstkw -p LaMnee Avion 8OO0p Hkn d - FIiih '#6 eq at 8»P P ARep C5K - fte W% 8efl SrsZWof LW 21M i Sre N rh woe mat h g a t 519-853-1270, or 853-4700 I.--Feature this week: Jr. "A" Hockey Playoffe - Gzamefl: Georgetown at Burlington -Wednesday, March 8*, Spm i 11Ë U