January 21, 2015
Story and photo by Kirsten Goruk
Sometimes, he shows up with his maintenance cart.
Other times, he’s toting his guitar.
Either way, the supportive living residents and staff at Mackenzie Place are always glad to see Steve Hiltz.
The maintenance worker at the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Hospital has become a bit of a legend since he began working at the Grande Prairie facility.
A music legend, that is.
Music has been a part of his life for years. Hiltz used to volunteer his time by playing for long-term care residents in the Annapolis Valley Health District in Nova Scotia. And not long after starting his new job at the QEII, he found a way to carry on the tradition.
“There was a guitar downstairs that I happened to stumble on one day. I got talking with people, and I just came up and played and they loved it,” Hiltz says.
Hiltz is now an official volunteer at the hospital and spends his Wednesday nights playing music and visiting with the residents.
His wife Jody usually joins him and they treat the evening as a sort-of “date night.”
And when Hiltz isn’t fixing or replacing things in various areas of the hospital, he’ll even take the time to drop in and play over his lunch break.
“When Steve comes to play and sing for us, it makes us feel a whole lot happier than we did before. And it's lovely to have someone who can sing and be cheerful,” says Audrey Sissons, a resident at Mackenzie Place, the supportive living wing attached to the QEII.
“He also has his handyman responsibilities. Anything Steve does, he does in a happy mood.”
As a thank-you, residents and staff threw Steve a surprise party on Dec. 11 for his 47th birthday.
The surprise was filmed for a Because You Cared video, part of Alberta Health Services’ Passion for Health initiative. Passion for Health gives Albertans an opportunity to thank AHS staff for providing outstanding care and service and showcases the great work AHS staff perform each and every day.
Cathy Craipley, interim care manager at MacKenzie Place, says it’s easy to see why everyone wanted to honour Hiltz.
“Steve is well-loved by all the residents. He is helpful, kind, caring and compassionate. Anything the residents need, Steve is there for them,” she says.
“When Steve’s here, everyone’s attentive, everyone’s listening, everyone’s focused. And that includes the staff. We enjoy having Steve as part of our care team. It brings us together. We all have different jobs to do, but we’re all one team.”
On Hiltz’s birthday, everything was set. There was cake and punch, balloons scattered throughout the dining area, and even Hiltz’s boss was in on the surprise and helped get him to the party. Mackenzie Place resident Deborah Abell was among those looking forward to thanking Hiltz.
“He gives endlessly with his guitar playing and it’s so beautiful,” says Abell. “He knows just about everyone by name. He’s a very unique, kind person. Steve is here faithfully whenever he says he’s going to be here. We don’t even have to ask him to play; he just does.”
In a unit focused on providing care and support for an aging population, Craipley believes Hiltz’s music goes beyond giving the residents something to hum along to.
“It’s definitely therapeutic for them to have music,” Craipley says. “Music reaches people when they can’t communicate verbally; it’s an emotional attachment. People relate to the music.”
Lucky for them, Hiltz isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and this birthday is definitely one he’ll never forget.
“I tell you, this is the most surprised I’ve been on a birthday ever – guaranteed,” Hiltz says.
“This is my family out here, for sure. Definitely. All of them. There’s camaraderie here. They’re a good bunch of folks and they don’t want much at all.”
