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Tait on Eight: Arts on the Wards raises spirits

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Shirley Serviss pulls a plastic container out of her hospital cart and takes the top off. There are little orange prescription bottles carefully placed.

But when you take a look — a real good look — the bottles aren’t plugged with pills.

Rather, small pieces of paper are rolled up with an inspirational thought for the day.

“We have certain people we are scheduled to visit in the hospital,” said Shirley. “But if we see someone by themselves in the cafeteria, we’ll go up to them and hand them a thought.”

Shirley works part-time for Arts on the Wards at the University Hospital. She is part of staff who visit patients and use their talents — as writers, visual artists and musicians — to help make patients feel a bit of relief during their hospital stay.

Under the compassionate eye of manager Michelle Casavant, Arts on the Wards visits patients at the U of A Hospital, Stollery Children’s Hospital, the Mazankowski Heart Institute and the Kaye Edmonton Clinic.

Started in 1999, Arts on the Wards touches 1,000 patients a year. The group is funded by the Friends of University Hospitals.

Shirley, who has a broadcasting diploma from Calgary’s Mount Royal College, was the second employee hired.

“I do a lot of things,” Shirley said with a proud smile. “I write thoughts of the day, and sometimes I write poems for the patient to reflect back the strength from the stories they’ve told me.”

They work. Shirley often hears patients have their pain go away after they’ve heard some of her work.

“We don’t know the health particulars of the patients but we have an idea,” Shirley said.

“We always say that we’re more interested with what’s right with them, what do they enjoy, and not what illness brings them into the hospital.”

But there’s another priceless bond the program creates.

“Sometimes patients can talk about things and we can refer them to other health practitioners or units. For example, if they want to talk about death we can refer them to a chaplain,” Shirley said. “If they’re worried about paying their rent, we can refer them to social workers.”

The program’s first employee was artist Nancy Corrigan, and she has countless stories to tell about the people she has met — and, touched.

“One client told me ‘You make me feel like me’,” Nancy said. “Because I think the worst part of being a patient is a sense of not being yourself.”

In 2000, Nancy met an older woman who had a heart transplant.

“She wanted a way to say thank you to her donor,” Nancy said.

So Nancy put her creative cap on and came up with a drawing of two people who were connected with a ribbon dance.

“She cried all over the place,” said Nancy, “and was very grateful.”

Christmas time and hospitals are poignant at the best of times.

The staff knows that, so it’s not surprising to know where some of them could be on the big day.

“A lot of us visit (the hospital) on Christmas Day,” said Shirley. “Staff and patients are always grateful to see us.

“I think it lightens their load a little bit.”

Sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered.

(Cam Tait is a special project advisor at Challenge Insurance)

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