October 2012
Volunteer Voice
A Newsletter for MD Anderson Volunteers
A toast to the hosts
Volunteer floor hosts, bilingual floor hosts and patient advocates make a difference You can see them, day, evening and weekend, as they leave the offices of Volunteer Services carrying MD Anderson resources, newspapers, magazines, television guides, toiletries and fliers with special announcements. Since the 1950s, these volunteer floor hosts have been on the go and ready to engage with inpatients and their caregivers. Aiming for friendly visits with easy conversation filled with laughter and occasional tears, the floor hosts make their rounds and often get to know patients on a more personal basis due to the nature of their volunteer placement.
Caring and sharing “When I began floor hosting, I visited with a patient who was at MD Anderson,” says Lexus Bradford, an evening floor host. “I stayed to talk for almost 30 minutes and learned her life story. As I was leaving, she told me how grateful she was for my visit and how happy she was with her care at MD Anderson. From then on, I realized what an impact I could have on patients just by showing that I care.” Many floor hosts are cancer survivors or have been with a loved one undergoing treatment, so they bring unique insight about the cancer journey with the patients they meet. Often, this creates an immediate bond during a visit between the patient and the volunteer. Volunteers comment that the work is all about listening to the patient, something that’s easy to do because they understand. Daytime floor host, now patient advocate, Lori Valencic and her husband, a seven-year survivor, are both volunteers. Lori explains that she learned that the patient she was visiting was an avid ham radio operator. Because her husband is also a “ham,” Lori connected the two and they shared their experiences during many inpatient treatments. As a floor host, the volunteer’s primary role is to provide resource referrals and conversation during visits continued on page 2
Floor host/patient advocate volunteers Lexus Bradford (above) and Lori Valencic (below) gather resources to take along on their patient visits.