Pam Glover has been a Palliative Care South East volunteer for the past nine years. She is passionate about providing emotional support, working to establish the “Sharing My Story” program that allows clients to create personal biographies and farewell letters. It is an incredibly rewarding process that fosters reflection as clients look back on the most significant moments and memories of their lives.
“With the Sharing My Story program I see a lot of validation. Often people say ‘oh I haven’t done much in my life’ and ‘no one would want to read my story’, but when it’s finished and they’re talking about it they can’t believe how much they have achieved. I feel very privileged that they’re prepared to tell me their thoughts and share the details of their lives, and that they have trust in me to be able to assist them,” she says.
As well as providing validation for clients the program is extremely beneficial for families. Reading the biographies bring back a lot of positive memories and help them to reflect on the key moments of their loved one’s life.
“Families get a lot of personal support from the various aspects of palliative care, but with ‘Sharing My Story’ I’ve received messages years later from the family of people for whom I did a biography saying how wonderful it is to go back and read. They find a lot of joy and inner peace from the stories.”
In addition to pioneering the program, Pam has worked to memorialise PCSE’s story through a detailed booklet. The record includes our organisational history and recognises the efforts of people who worked selflessly to contribute to its evolution. She found the process extremely valuable as it highlighted the commitment from staff and volunteers to make our organisation what is today.
“The story is an acknowledgment of the people who put in so much time to help others,” she says.
The record of PCSE will be published and available to the public in late 2020.
If you would like to learn more about our volunteer program or register your interest please click here.