Trudy Concannon

My name is Trudy Concannon and I’m a volunteer with Galway Hospice.

As I had worked in the Bon Secours hospital for twenty years, I was accustomed to dealing with patients.

However, I had no experience of dealing with seriously ill people and I felt that this would be a challenge for me in  volunteering with the Galway Hospice.

Initially, I had thought hospice care was about sickness and dying but I quickly learned that it’s about providing the best quality of life possible for people with life-limiting conditions. The Hospice is an environment filled with warmth, kindness, and a sense of community.

People with a life threatening condition can often feel isolated and fearful. However, at Galway Hospice, there is a patient-centred approach meaning that from admission, people are treated courteously with dignity, respect, and compassion. Our professional staff address their medical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs whilst volunteers support staff in creating a welcoming environment in which patients feel secure. My role involves the serving of meals to patients in the Inpatient Unit, where I have the opportunity to check in with them and often share a few smiles and laughs too. Day Care also provides complementary therapies, such as art therapy and aromatherapy which really helps provide patients relaxation.

Seeing patients willingly coming in from their homes to participate in these activities demonstrates that they are living life to the fullest, which is very rewarding.

Volunteering at Galway Hospice has profoundly impacted me. It has given me a deep understanding of empathy and human connection, witnessing firsthand the difference a kind word or a simple gesture can make.

It is such an enriching experience and one that I cherish deeply.