As we reach the end of our 2023 Patient Experience Week at Monash Health, we are delighted to launch a beautiful consumer-led initiative that will bring a touch of kindness to families during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Led by Patient Experience Manager Sandra Rogers and passionate Monash Health volunteer and Consumer Advisor Dianne Sides, the initiative brings a simple change to the end-of-life process by introducing tastefully designed bags for the respectful and compassionate return of the personal belongings of deceased loved ones.
“Many years ago, when my mother passed away, I got a call asking me to come and collect her belongings,” Dianne shared. “When I got down to the hospital, I was handed a black plastic bag with all her things.
“At a time when you’re grieving, these items have special meaning. Whether it’s a photo they had beside their bed or their glasses, it was all a part of them.”
When Dianne and Sandra started talking about a potential initiative for change, Dianne immediately thought of the Rotary Club of Glen Waverley, an organisation she’s been a proud member of for many years.
“When I told the Club about the idea, we quickly realised how many people had experienced the same thing. Then, through the grant application process, I couldn’t tell you how many people came up to us to tell us they’d had the same experience and one of our Rotarians had it happen only the day before. We saw a nice opportunity to do something about it,” she said.
With funding generously secured by the Rotary Club of Glen Waverley, Monash Health’s Patient Experience team is now pleased to launch the new woven polypropylene bags, which feature a white lotus flower – a symbol of purity, eternity and strength – set against a regal purple. Inside the new Lotus bags, families will find the personal belongings of loved ones carefully presented inside a white drawstring bag; a packet of forget-me-not seeds; and several helpful resources to support families through the process of grief and with making practical arrangements.
“At Monash Health, we are here for our patients and families during their journey of health and also during the difficult journey of loss,” said Associate Professor Anjali Dhulia, Chief Medical Officer for Monash Health. “We are so grateful to Dianne and the Rotary Club of Glen Waverley for their support, which enables us to provide a gesture of compassion and kindness at a difficult time.”
Featured left to right: Dianne Sides, Consumer Advisor | Sue Mills, Rotary Club of Glen Waverley; Associate Professor Anjali Dhulia, Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director, Medical Services; Dianne Sides; Angela Forthun, Rotary Club of Glen Waverley.
“We hope that this special effort to look after their precious things will make a difference for families,” Dianne said. “That it will show them that Monash Health is here not only for patients, but also for families and for our community.”
Dianne’s advice to anyone wanting to make a change is to ‘go for it’. “Go and talk to someone at the hospital even if you think it’s out of reach,” she said. “There are many people here and out there, working to make things happen.”
Monash Health would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dianne Sides, Sue Mills and the wonderful team at the Rotary Club of Glen Waverley for their time and generosity and for helping to make a small but meaningful change that will make a big difference to many families.
