Volunteering at hospital is about family

Jean Kincade and her niece Donna were born raised in Saskatchewan.

Jean became a nurse and received her PhD from Brown University in Rhode Island. She embarked on a career in academia in geriatrics at the University of North Carolina. Meanwhile, Donna studied to be a librarian and worked for many years conducting research for Ontario Hydro before operating her own business for 14 years.

“In 2006 I retired, and Donna and I considered sharing a house together,” Jean said. “We looked at the cost of housing in the GTA and decided to look for a home in Guelph, Cambridge, or Brantford. We came to Brantford first and we got no further.”

Seventeen years later and Donna and Jean have settled into their new lives and could not be happier. They have embraced Brantford and all the community offers.

“Soon after arriving and setting our house up we began to think about where we could volunteer,” Donna said.

Donna read about the Brant Community Healthcare System. She decided to become a volunteer at the Brantford General Hospital in the emergency department, while Jean volunteered in the dialysis clinic.

Jean attended a meeting at the Beckett Center about developing a master plan on aging for Brantford. She had been involved in developing an age-friendly community plan in North Carolina, so it seemed like a natural fit in her new community.

“Lucy Marco of the Grand River Council on Aging was spearheading the initiative here and together with many others we developed a local plan,” Jean said.

Jean also joined the Board of Directors of the Brant Community Healthcare System, and eventually became chair.

In 2022 Donna said she “dragged Jean along” to join her volunteering in the emergency department on Thursday mornings. “I thought with Jean’s healthcare background she would enjoy it.”

Together they continue volunteering on Thursday mornings and experienced firsthand how things changed with COVID-19.

“Things are so much different today. There are significant demands on the staff. There is a need for volunteers that is for sure,” Donna said.

“We follow a standard list of duties volunteers perform. We replenish many of the supplies on the carts throughout the department, assemble much of the paperwork, and often escort emergency department patients to the diagnostic imaging department.”

Jean says she is perfectly happy completing more of the ‘mundane tasks’ volunteering in the emergency department, while Donna likes to use her people skills to help patients and families.

The Kincades are among about 300 volunteers at the BGH and Willett Hospital.

Kari Astles, senior coordinator of volunteer engagement, said volunteers in the emergency department must be 18 years old, however, to volunteer in other areas of the BGH and Willett, the minimum age is 15 years old.

Astles says, “Donna and Jean, and all our volunteers, are very important. I encourage anyone who may be interested to contact the hospital.”

Please visit www.bchsys.org/volunteer to learn more about volunteering at BCHS.

Hospital Insider is written by Gary Chalk who assists with communications for the Brant Community Healthcare System