‘It’s a blessing to have them:’ Hospital volunteers bring comfort and care to patients with hair washes

Maria Sarrouh reports on a group of volunteers in P.E.I. who are making life easier for hospital patients and the impact they're having.

CHARLOTTETOWN - A group of volunteers at Charlottetown’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital is bringing comfort, care and connection to patients, one hair wash at a time.

Every Thursday, the team offers free hair washing and blow drying to those in Nursing Unit 8, providing a moment of normalcy, beyond the day-to-day clinical routine. Collectively, they’ve put in nearly 12,600 hours, visiting almost 1,400 patients.

“They’re so patient and kind and gentle,” said Laura Livingston, who has been in hospital for 13 months. “They just give you everything they have. It’s a blessing to have them here.”

Livingston has a tracheostomy tube, and uses a BiPAP machine, a form of non-invasive ventilation that helps with breathing. The service, she said, brightens her mood and “feels fresh.” But the team goes above and beyond to lift patients’ spirits.

She recalled last Christmas Eve, when the two volunteers who do her hair most often stopped by with decorations and a bouquet of flowers.

“I wasn’t even going anywhere,” she said. “That’s what they’re like.”

Barbara Brazil, who has been recovering from a fractured leg since mid-December, said she also looks forward to the visit. She can’t stand long enough to wash her own hair.

“It’s refreshing. It’s like you’ve come from the hairdresser, really,” Brazil said. “I’m so happy that they’re here.”

For some members of the team, the work is a family affair, like mother-and-daughter duo Carolyn MacFadyen and Dawn Baglole.

“I recently retired, and I thought this would be a fun thing to do,” MacFadyen said. “It makes us feel good that we’re contributing to their day.”

“There’s a certain amount of relief, getting your hair washed,” Baglole added. “It’s a great service to be able to help the nurses out with.”

50 years of volunteering

For others, the effort has spanned decades.

Gayle MacDonald, who leads the team, has been at it for 50 years, starting at the former Prince Edward Island Hospital, which closed its doors after the Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened.

“My husband took his lunch and went to work all day. The kids took their lunch and went to school all day. And I thought, I could do something,” MacDonald said.

She said a friend who had started the volunteer service told her she could come in during the mornings and still be home by the time her family returned. Decades later, her children are all grown up, and she’s still volunteering.

“I love it. I enjoy people. I love to talk,” she said, adding those conversations often reveal just how connected the Island can be. In many cases, volunteers end up knowing at least one family member. Sometimes, loved ones are far away.

“The little bit we can help them and enjoy with them makes a difference, though. I think so,” she said.

MacDonald has also experienced the service from the other side. After having both knees replaced, she was a patient herself.

“We all are thankful that we’re able to leave the hospital and feel good about helping somebody, that we cheered them up for an hour or so,” she said.

When patients insist on giving something in return, MacDonald said the money goes into a fund to help cover supplies so they can keep showing up with buckets, brushes and blow dryers each week.