58°
No one wants to make a trip to the emergency room. And two Westport residents, Martha Rosenfeld and Karen Tricarico, are committed to making patients' stays there a little more comfortable.
The pair, co-chairs of a volunteer team that supports patients and visitors in the Norwalk Hospital ER, are on hand to communicate, reassure and help explain the sometimes bewildering and usually stressful environment there.
Martha has been a hospital volunteer for 12 years. "Having been a teacher for 27 years, I wanted to use my life experiences to help people. As an emergency department volunteer, I am an 'informed friend' to both patient and family," she said. Martha has created indelible bonds with her "patients," one of whom said to her after a stay, "I feel like I'm related to you."
In addition to her challenging volunteer schedule, Karen, who originally worked in the finance department of a California hospital, juggles the always-complicated schedule of three kids. "My evenings are full, but I had some time during the day and I wanted to volunteer to give back," she said. With three children, Karen has had her share of visits to emergency rooms. "It would have been nice to experience some of the TLC a volunteer brings," she said.
Along with comforting and aiding patients, she trains new volunteers, supports the staff and generally multi-tasks. "We have to accept our limits as volunteers, follow directions from the staff and know we are there for the emotional health of the patient. The reward is the personal satisfaction derived from helping others," she said.
For more information about volunteering at Norwalk Hospital, call (203) 852-2000.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
