Kōwhai Companions - Volunteers | Burwood Hospital Older Persons Health

Nau mai, Haere mai koutou katoa

Do you want to

• Make a difference in someone’s life during a vulnerable time?
• Gain an understanding of volunteering in healthcare and become a valuable member of the hospital team?
• Gain work experience which may benefit your career?

About the Kōwhai Programme

The Kowhai Programme trains volunteers to provide person centred emotional tautoko / support and manaaki / practical assistance to patients in hospital. The programme is also designed to support whānau / family or carers when they are unable to be with their loved ones or support those patients who do not have whānau / family support.

About the Kōwhai Companion Role – Please note this is a volunteer position and is unpaid.

As a Kōwhai Companion, you will provide support similar to that usually provided by whānau or friends.

This is a non-patient contact role and excludes any personal cares.

You will gain an understanding of the patient’s background, their whānau, identity, personal preferences, and the activities they enjoy to engage in a meaningful way.

Kōwhai Companions will support patients who experience memory and thinking problems such as delirium, those with dementia, or patients who would benefit from someone sitting with them face to face / kanohi ki te kanohi.

The Kōwhai Companions Programme is a successful initiative at Burwood Hospital and is active since January 2022.

What’s been said about the Kōwhai Programme

“Being a Kōwhai Companion gives me a purpose and reward beyond what I can adequately describe and express. I give my time, attention, and care to the patients I see once a week and in return I hear stories from the past, see smiles on their faces, share laughs, learn new life lessons”

“this programme has done more for me than anything else during my hospital stay, having someone to take me outside gave me something to look forward to”

“I felt really happy knowing that someone could be with Mum in the evenings, she gets very frightened and the staff can’t be there with her all the time, they are lovely people…”

If you have two to three hours weekly, willing to commit for a minimum of 6 months, and have a desire to be the person that makes a difference in someone’s day, apply now.

For further information please contact Jane Kandhai, Programme Coordinator 

Email: jane.kandhai@cdhb.health.nz  PH: 021 374 987

To Apply please email jane.kandhai@cdhb.health.nz

Please attach a CV and or a letter telling us a little about yourself, including:

• Why you would like to become a Kōwhai Companion
• What you will bring to the Kōwhai Companion role
• Availability