One noticeable thing about the rooms used for treatment is how bare they can be. Unfortunately, some of our patients don’t have families that are an integral part of their lives or treatment due to any number of circumstances. We wanted to change that. At Midwest, we have begun a program that we refer to, all too creatively, as our Flower Program. On the surface, we are simply providing our patients with a vase full of flowers to brighten up their room. Behind the scenes however, it is so much more.
We have wonderful volunteers that help us with any number of things both in and out of our office. They are the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to keep our patients happy and give us the flexibility to do the job that we set out to do. One of the many things they do is head the Flower Program. Overtime, Midwest Hospice has built relationships with local grocers that want to give unused flowers another purpose. When the flowers are changed out and thrown away, our volunteer picks them up, arranges them in a vase, and delivers them to our patients.
Both the flowers and the vases are donated. They give the old glass and the old flowers a second life. The flowers combat the bareness of the room and the patients truly appreciate the added color. There are many pieces that make up our Flower Program and if it weren’t for each one of them individually, we wouldn’t be able to provide our patients with a much-needed burst of color. From the grocers that donate the flowers, to the repurposed vases, to the volunteers that create and deliver the arrangements, this just goes to show that when people come together something special can happen.
