December 12, 2024
Eighty-year-old Karin Esser tries on her new hand-knit toque crafted by volunteers with the Operation Friendship Seniors Society. Natalie Allouche, unit manager for the alternative level of care unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, worked with the local Edmonton charity to ensure all patients on the unit received a special gift this holiday season. Photo by Sharman Hnatiuk.
Thanks to a generous donation from Operation Friendship Seniors Society, social worker Sydney Gorman and her colleagues on Unit 18 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital handed out gifts to all patients on the unit, like Ian Pye, shown here with a special bag of sweet treats, socks, and hand-knit items. Photo by Sharman Hnatiuk.
Ian Pye is all smiles after receiving a hand-knit scarf courtesy of Edmonton’s Operation Friendship Seniors Society volunteers. The local charity donated 30 gift bags so all the patients on his unit could feel the spirit of giving this holiday season. Photo by Sharman Hnatiuk.
Story & photos by Sharman Hnatiuk
EDMONTON — Handcrafted gifts can feel extra special — and that’s exactly how Karin Esser felt when she got her hand-knit toque and scarf at a festive holiday party for patients on her unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
As someone with knitting experience, the 80-year-old was all smiles admiring the stiches and type of wool used to make part of her special gift for the holidays.
Unit 18 at the Royal Alex is home to patients waiting for an alternate level of care prior to discharge. The holiday celebration with cake and hot chocolate was the first of its kind for the unit, and included a special gift bag filled with socks, hand-knit items, chocolates, supplied for all 30 patients by the Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS).
“Some of our patients spend an extended period here with us. They may be waiting for long-term care or have complex or socio-economic needs to take care of prior to finding an appropriate level of care to be discharged into,” says Natalie Allouche, unit manager.
“Many of our patients can’t be with their family during the holidays, so our staff become like their family. I wanted to make sure our patients felt special and loved during this holiday season. Thankfully, I was able to find a community partner to support our patients.”
With only a few weeks’ experience in her new role as unit manager, Allouche made inquiries with charities in the Edmonton area. She found success in the form of support from OFSS, an inner-city community partner whose mission is to offer services to improve the quality of life of seniors in need.
Within a few days, Allouche received a call that a volunteer had arrived at the hospital to deliver gift bags for each of her patients in time for their holiday party on Dec. 10.
“I was overwhelmed by the generosity of OFSS and their volunteers who made the hand-knit items,” adds Allouche. “Many of our patients are not equipped for the winter, so to gift them a handmade item to help them keep warm is heartwarming.”
According to the OFSS, seniors can be a lost demographic in the community, and their inner-city clients may suffer from poor housing conditions, poor health, inadequate diets, average incomes, decreased mobility and social isolation.
“Thanks to the generosity of our donors and volunteers, we could provide care packages to this group of seniors and community members at the Royal Alex to spread some joy this holiday season,” says Jimmy Morrison, community relations manager, OFSS.
Marion Morrow, one of Karin’s five children, attended the special holiday event along with her husband — and was delighted to see her mother get to experience such a special holiday event.
“This is really wonderful to see,” says Morrow. “We are so appreciative of the staff for organizing this event and for Operation Friendship’s community support, so our mother could receive a special gift while in hospital.
“It’s a real blessing for those on the unit.”
