Central Zone - Windsor, West Hants

The goal of our Recreation programs is to encourage and support residents in long-term care homes and hospital inpatient units to participate in recreation, leisure, and communication-based experiences. Activities could include creative expression, music, relaxation, exercises, games, or conversations. Throughout each shift, volunteers are actively engaged with patients and provide companionship and socialization. In addition, they help with setting up and cleaning up, before and after the activities. These programs give the participants the opportunity to engage in regular mental and physical activities, and to notice the benefits that such activities have on one's health. If you have a passion for healing through Recreation actives, then this may be of interest to you.

Our Ambassador volunteers are a friendly hosts to patients, families and visitors as they enter Nova Scotia Health facilities. The Ambassador volunteers help relieve stress for patients and visitors who enter our facilities by providing directions and information about our facilities during their visit. This is a fast-paced program with varying demands requiring volunteers to be on their feet and to walk throughout the buildings. If you love meeting new people and working in a busy environment, then these roles are for you.

Our Therapy Dog volunteers bring comfort, joy and a sense of companionship through pet visitation to patients and residents in our facilities. All Therapy Dog volunteer teams are required to be certified through the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Training Program. As a Therapy Dog volunteer, you can provide a wonderful break in what can be a stressful time for both patients and staff alike. If you and your dog are a certified St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog team, then this role is for you.

Music heals - and nowhere is this more apparent than in our Music Volunteer programs. The goals of the Music Volunteer programs range from encouraging patients and their families, participating in recreational and leisure activities, and providing calming music interludes amidst what can be a stressful time. In these programs, volunteers with musical experience also have an opportunity to provide musical entertainment and/or sing for patients and their families. If you have a musical talent that you would like to share in a meaningful way, this role may be for you.

Palliative Care is a special kind of health care for individuals and families who are living with a terminal illness that may be at an advanced stage. The goal of palliative care is to provide comfort and dignity for the person living with advanced illness, as well as the best quality of life for both this person and his or her family. Our Palliative Care volunteers enhance the quality of life for patients and their families and work as members of a multi-disciplinary team. They contribute actively to the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual welfare of our patients and families. If you are interested in a role where you can contribute in a meaningful way for someone who is in the end-of-life stage, then this may be for you.

The Patient and Family Advisor is a broad role that is fairly generic in concept but provides the patient and family with a voice in making decisions and setting priorities. An advisor is a person who partners with staff by bringing their experience to the decision-making table. Whether it is for a short-term project or an ongoing committee, Patient and Family Advisors play a critical role in the success of the health care system.

Our In-Patient Unit Volunteers work in a supportive and interactive team environment to provide support to patients, families and staff members as part of the care team at our facilities. In-Patient volunteers can visit with patients and families, support staff with non-clinical patient care, sit with patients during meals and do a range of tasks from stocking linen carts to filling water jugs. The work can be fast-paced one shift and calmer the next. Our In-Patient volunteer programs allow volunteers to gain hands on experience in a health care setting.

Community Health Boards (CHBs) are groups of volunteers from local communities, who work together to improve health and wellness of their communities. They gather ideas from local community members and share information about how to improve and promote health and wellness close to home. They focus on the many factors that affect health and wellness in our communities including income, education, and sense of belonging, among others. CHBs share what they have learned about your health and wellness priorities with Nova Scotia Health, IWK Health Centre, and other pertinent community groups.

You cannot serve on a CHB, if you are:

• An employee of the provincial health authority, the IWK Health Centre or the Department of Health and Wellness
• A person who holds privileges with the provincial health authority or the IWK Health Centre

To find a Community Health Board in your area, please check the following link: 

CHB Maps