Hospital Patient Visitors
Hospital Patient Visitors are Heart Support Australia volunteers who have heart disease and have had the firsthand experiences of dealing with the physical and mental trauma of a cardiac event or surgery. Our Hospital Patient Visitors provide bedside support to cardiac patients and their carers going through their hospital journey, in order to assist them during a difficult time.
The work of a Hospital Patient Visitor is listening to the client. Verbalising experiences and telling ‘their’ story is something that people need to do as a part of the healing process. The advantage of the Hospital Patient Visitor Program is that it provides someone with the time to listen who has also experienced what the patient has experienced and can relate to the patient during their time of need.
Not only do our volunteers attend cardiac wards, they also regularly attend cardiac rehabilitation programs across the country to talk to the group and again provide a consumer perspective of the journey they went through during their heart disease recovery.
Our Hospital Patient Visitors attend various hospitals across the country to assist patients in need. Please see below a list of our current locations where our volunteers attend.
Australian Capital Territory
North Canberra Hospital
The Canberra Hospital
New South Wales
Bowral & Districts Hospital, Bowral
Queanbeyan Hospital and Health Service, Queanbeyan
Royal North Shore Hospital, North Sydney
Queensland
Caboolture & Districts Hospital, Caboolture
Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Sunshine Coast
The Wesley Hospital, Brisbane
South Australia
Flinders Private Hospital, Bedford Park
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville South
The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide
Victoria
Epworth Eastern, Box Hill
Western Australia
Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth
Hollywood Private Hospital, Nedlands
St John of God Murdoch Hospital, Murdoch
Join our Hospital Patient Visitor Program
Heart Support Australia is always looking for new Hospital Patient Visitors to join our team, and we are always looking at growing the number of hospitals and cardiac rehabilitation centres for our volunteers attend too across the country.
All of our volunteers undergo training and support from our National Hospital Patient Visitor Instructor to ensure they are fully prepared for their new role. Our course is free thanks to the generous funding from the Federal Government Department of Health, and support from our partners and donors.
If you are interested in becoming a Heart Support Australia Hospital Patient Visitor and supporting heart disease patients in need during their hospital experience, then please contact us for more information.
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Make a heartfelt difference to cardiac survivors.
By donating to Heart Support Australia you can make a heartfelt difference for patients affected by a heart event while also supporting their families, carers and friends as they navigate the frightening journey of a cardiovascular disease diagnosis.