We are a specially trained group of volunteers who have been providing bedside singing support to inpatients and their families at Victoria Hospice since August 2007.
Our co-founder and current group coordinator Marnie Lamb has been a Victoria Hospice unit volunteer since 2005. Marnie noticed that she along with other volunteers often spontaneously sang or hummed to patients during their work there. This observation sparked the creation of the Bedside Singers program in October 2006 with a goal of formalizing the practice of singing at bedsides through appropriate training and the setting of ethical guidelines.
We provide regular twice-a-month Wednesday evening group practices so that singers can learn our core repertoire. We also offer several role-playing workshops over the training period to help new singers develop the special kind of sensitivity that is required to do this work.
Experience has clearly shown us that it is best to have no more than two Bedside Singers present during each patient visit. We have developed a system of mentoring so that all new singers are initially paired with someone who is very experienced in doing bedside singing shifts on the unit. Mentoring allows us to ensure the well-being of patients and their families while also offering incoming singers the best hands-on training that is available.
Songs of Passage and the Victoria Hospice Society
In August 2007, the Bedside Singers began a joint bedside singing pilot project with the Victoria Hospice Society under the name Songs of Passage.
Bedside singing has now become an established volunteer service on the inpatient unit. We run three early evening shifts a week there with oversight from the Victoria Hospice Psychosocial Department.
Bedside singing is a free service for patients and families on the unit. Tax-deductible donations to Victoria Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation are always an option if people wish to find a way to support the work that Victoria Hospice staff and volunteers provide at the end of life.
The Future of Bedside Singing
Although our main focus continues to be providing bedside singing at Victoria Hospice, we also began offering one early evening shift a week on the Inpatient Oncology unit at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital in January 2010.
Beyond maintaining bedside singing services at both Victoria Hospice and RJH Inpatient Oncology, we hope to eventually expand our training program by offering weekend workshops in other cities to reach singers outside of Victoria who may wish to do this kind of supportive work within their own communities.
Contacting Us
We would be delighted to hear from you if you have any questions about the practice of bedside singing or if you would like support in setting up a similar group in your area.
Please click here if you wish to get in touch with us.