Volunteers ease cancer patient stress

The Healing Beyond the Body Program at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto connects trained volunteers with patients — right in the clinic.

The volunteers provide information and support for patients facing a battery of tests, a diagnosis of cancer, clinic visits, specialist consultations or intense treatments. Patients report just the presence of the volunteers during their visits helps relieve some of their anxiety and stress.

The program enables volunteers to provide targeted intervention that focuses on helping patients. The volunteers are trained to recognize the needs of patients and where to find them help.

Volunteer Duke Chen, an undergraduate life science student at the University of Toronto, says he enjoys spending time with patients and is pursuing a career in healthcare as a result of his time spent in the program

It’s my job to make patients feel at home while they wait for an appointment, Duke says. It’s not just about providing resource information, it’s about sharing conversations about treatments and future plans.