Michelle Allomes volunteers at Ipswich Hospital after injury forces her to retire from nursing

An Ipswich nurse began volunteering two months after an injury forced her to retire

Michelle Allomes began volunteering at the Ipswich Hospital only a few months after retiring from her role as a nurse. Photo: Ebony Graveur

ALTHOUGH an injury forced Michelle Allomes to retire early from her 44-year nursing career, she found a way to stay involved in the word she loved.

Only two months after retiring, the Ipswich nurse began volunteering at the same hospital she had worked at for 20 years.

“I wasn’t old enough to sit at home and do nothing - I wanted to do something,” Ms Allomes said.

“I was friends with a lot of the hospital volunteers and I thought I could do it, too, and be able to still see them and my patients’ families.”

Ms Allomes is among Ipswich’s often-unsung volunteer force, upon which much of the city’s networks rely.

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National Volunteer week 2021 (May 17 - 23) celebrates the contribution millions of volunteers make Australia-wide.

For the past 6.5 years, Ms Allomes has been donating her time to the Ipswich Hospital Foundation.

Having worked as a nurse in the palliative care ward, Michelle’s volunteering role has allowed her to stay connected with her old department.

“I’m at the hospital front door (now) but I still see a lot of my old patients’ families - a few of them have turned up as cancer patients and I’ve seen staff who have turned into cancer patients,” she said.

“At least you can keep them company and support them, be friends with them - that’s what it’s about.”

Ms Allomes helps visitors find their loved ones, organises wheelchairs, helps people phone for a taxi, and delivers clothing and personal belongings to patients.

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“People want to find a patient and you direct them,” she said.

“A lot of the times you take them to the wards they need to be taken to or to the clinics because they can’t physically comprehend what you’re telling them - with a lot of stressful things going on, they can’t remember.”

Sometimes the role is as simple as listening.

“People like to talk to you and, because we see them so often, a lot of people class us as family,” Ms Allomes said.

“I’m now someone’s grandmother - he calls me his nan and (he calls) his twins, who are down in special care, my great grandbabies.”

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A world without volunteers would be a very different one, according to Ms Allomes.

“It would be a really, really sad place,” she said.

Volunteers were unable to volunteer at the hospital during the height of Covid.

When they returned, it was clear how badly they had been missed.

“They were so glad we were back that we were hugged by doctors, the heads of staff,” Ms Allomes said.

“It was nice to be appreciated - (you feel) you’re doing something worthwhile.”

To learn more about volunteering with the Ipswich Hospital Foundation, visit the website.

Read more news by Ebony Graveur.

Originally published as Michelle Allomes volunteers at Ipswich Hospital after injury forces her to retire from nursing