UCD Purl Jam’s ‘Hearts for Hospitals’ Project
It sometimes feels like another world when we think back now on the things we did during the last few years in order to protect the most vulnerable in our society. This often meant drastic changes to the ways in which we interacted with each other. We had to adopt social distancing, cocooning and self-isolation, among other measures. There were so many challenges and dark days, and it took all our courage and strength to get through it. But dark times and crises bring out the best in us, and there were so many examples of the goodness and decency of people, with family, friends, neighbours and communities all watching out for and supporting each other in so many ways.
A very noticeable change came about in our hospitals whereby it was no longer possible to visit the sick and the elderly. This was particularly difficult for patients who were seriously ill in ICU. We can only imagine how isolating and frightening this experience must have been for the patients themselves. ICU staff were wonderful, bringing comfort in person when family and friends could only do so through a screen.
During this time, the NHS in the UK were running a project whereby patients received a knitted heart as a symbol of hope and togetherness. Carita Bramhill, previous UCD Postgraduate Research Student Adviser, brought this idea to UCD Purl Jam (based in UCD Veterinary Sciences) and suggested we work on something similar. Under the stewardship of Carita, we introduced the ‘Hearts for Hospitals’ project to some local hospitals in Dublin, including St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH). Since the lockdowns have ended, UCD Purl Jam has continued to collaborate on this project with the SVUH ICU End-of-Life Care Coordinator and their nursing and medical teams. A knitted heart is given to the patient and a matching heart is given to their family. This is accompanied by a beautiful card that says:
As we sit right here and think of all the times gone by / Of the funny things that make us laugh and bring tears to our eyes / I love these happy moments when we laugh and sometimes cry / It’s nice to sit and reminisce about happy times gone by / We each have this little keepsake, a pretty knitted heart / If we keep each one forever we won’t really be apart / And should there come a time when alas we have to part / We will always be together whilst we have our knitted heart.
From the feedback we’ve received, the matching hearts are a symbol of hope, comfort and connection for patients and families. Families feel assured that their loved one is being cared for and knows that they are with them. This small knitted heart is a powerful visible symbol of the bond of love that lies between the patient and their family.
If you would like to know more or contribute to this project, please contact niamh.nestor@ucd.ie, UCD Veterinary Sciences Student Adviser and UCD Purl Jam Lead.