For Ray Segato, volunteering at Niagara Health's Greater Niagara General Site is a way to give back to the healthcare team who cared for his wife.
Ray has volunteered in the Niagara Falls Emergency Department since last fall, providing comfort and support to patients and their loved ones.
He started volunteering after witnessing the care his wife, Jacqueline, received at the Greater Niagara General Site over a number of years. Jacqueline passed away last April.
“It’s a way for me to give back to the hospital for what they gave my wife,” he says. “The care she received was beautiful here.”
Ray, 76, says it makes his day to put a smile on someone’s face in the Emergency Department.
“It’s comforting for me to know I helped someone,” he says.
Another joy of volunteering is interacting with the healthcare team at the Niagara Falls hospital, says Ray.
“The staff is super, I know them all.”
Ray is one of more than 850 dedicated volunteers at Niagara Health helping to provide extraordinary caring to patients and their families.
And Niagara Health is looking for more volunteers who have excellent interpersonal skills and enjoy comforting others to volunteer at its sites across Niagara.
“We have an amazing collection of volunteers who come from all walks of life -- retirees, newcomers to the community, high school, college and university students and business professionals, to name a few,” says Pauline Caroll, Niagara Health Volunteer Co-ordinator. “Whether it’s visiting some of our patients, assisting with mealtimes, helping out in our emergency departments or working our information desks, our volunteers are an integral part of Niagara Health.”
For more information on volunteering at Niagara Health, please call 905-378-4647, ext 44630, or email volunteer@niagarahealth.on.ca. You can also visit the Volunteer page on the Niagara Health website here.
Read a story about Ray in the Niagara Falls Review here.
