Heartfelt healthcare

At the peak of the pandemic when no visitors were allowed to come to our hospitals, the District’s social work teams led a beautiful program to keep patients connected with their loved ones.

The Holding Hearts initiative involved giving donated knitted and crocheted hearts to patients and their loved ones; the patient kept hold of one heart and the family or loved one kept the matching heart.

Anastasia Anastasiou, Acting Head of Social Work, St George Hospital, said the initiative was warmly received by all involved.

“For patients who can’t have visitors this has been such a nice way for them to have a connecting bond with their family members and this is definitely heartfelt healthcare,” Ms Anastasiou said.

The hearts were initially given to patients in the ICU, cancer and renal wards and they are still offering holding hearts to those in COVID wards, as these patients unfortunately still cannot have visitors. The initiative has been emotionally supportive for families of end of life patients.

“We had a cancer patient, who sadly passed away, and we are still in touch with his wife, who has told us she still holds onto her holding heart,” Ms Anastasiou said.

“This program shone a light on the good will and kindness of people from the community who wanted to contribute and help. We had hearts sent to us by a seven year old girl who knitted them with her grandmother, it’s just beautiful.”

Sutherland Hospital have also begun sharing the holding hearts with end of life patients and their families, providing comfort through a difficult time.

“The holding hearts are a lovely way for families to feel connected and will provide comfort even after a loved one passes away,” said Emma Middlemiss, Head of the Social Work Department, Sutherland Hospital.

Peggy Yeomans, the Deputy Head of Social Work for Prince of Wales and Sydney/Sydney Eye hospitals said the initiative was warmly received by families who were unable to visit their relatives in hospital. “The hearts were like an invisible string connecting people during a very vulnerable time in their lives.”