Kate Geiger loved her job as an occupational therapist. “Working with older adults is one of my passions,” she shares. “Geriatric mental health was my specialty, and I’ve always loved art.” In her retirement, Geiger has found a way to meld her interests and gifts into a meaningful volunteer role at St. Boniface Hospital.
Art at the Bedside, an initiative run by Artists in Healthcare, is a program where volunteers bring creativity and conversation to those staying in Manitoba’s second largest hospital. “It seems to me that you can’t heal when you’re bored out of your tree,” Geiger shares with a smile. “Feeling like an active agent in your own life is required for healing, I think. And if you’re in the hospital with nothing to do other than to wait and worry, I can promise you that you’re only going to worry more.”
So she and a small group of art-minded volunteers take shifts in different parts of the hospital, helping people explore, share and express themselves while they are receiving care. Geiger visits individuals in the obstetrics/gynecological department for one on one visits, and also runs small group programs for patients staying at the McEwan Building, which hosts psychiatric supports.
Geiger knows that art heals, and she has dozens of stories to prove it. “I had someone come down from his room in McEwan to make a drawing,” she remembers. “He didn’t say much, but he told me that it was for his kids. He left and then he came back again later. He made another drawing, with three letters on it, one for each of his children. I asked him if he missed them, and he said that he wanted to remind himself who he is and what matters to him. That piece of paper held all the love that he has for his kids. He can do something meaningful with that love, with that longing, while he heals.”
While her training as an occupational therapist is helpful in her volunteer role, Geiger believes that showing up with the right presence is often all that’s needed for healing to begin. “It’s not just that the patient wanted to make a drawing for his children,” she explains. “He wanted to tell me that he made it, and why. And he needed to hear that affirmation from me: you’re missing your kids. He is just a person with something to say, and I am just a person who’s willing to listen. That’s often all we need.”
Geiger also takes shifts in the Buhler Gallery, welcoming visitors, guests and patients as they explore the space. She and other volunteers offer easy company or conversation, should the guest be interested. “I remember meeting a young man at McEwan and letting him know that there was an art gallery for him to visit if he was interested,” Geiger says. “I happened to be working my shift in the Buhler Gallery when he wandered in the next week. We looked at a piece of art together silently for a long time before he asked, ‘Are mobiles sculptures?’ Next thing you know, the curator of the gallery is involved in the conversation and the young man is exploring art and meeting new people, all while receiving care in a hospital.”
Geiger and the Art at the Bedside volunteers, along with their “magic cart” of supplies, as they call it, travel the hospital to bring creativity and connection to those who need it most. “When I get onto a ward, I always ask the nurses who might need a little pick me up,” she shares. “Most people end up in the hospital in emergency situations, they don’t feel great, they’re a little scared and they for sure didn’t think to bring their art supplies! People are people, and it’s such an honour to spend time with so many of them, making art and offering companionship during a difficult time.”
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The Art at the Bedside and Buhler Gallery programs both need volunteers! If you have an interest in art, and some time to give, St. Boniface Hospital Volunteer Services would love to hear from you.