When you’re taking care of others during a crisis, it can be difficult to take care of yourself. Essential needs (like toilet paper) can be especially hard to get.
Enter the Adopt A Healthcare Worker Facebook group!
This is a great little initiate we came across this week that is seeing non healthcare workers offer their services to healthcare workers — for things like sourcing toilet paper, haircare help, rental help, last-minute essentials etc.
These groups are springing up in different locations across Australia, with 16,000 members in the Sydney version alone. In the past 24 hours, we can see evidence of care packages being delivered, call outs for short term accommodation being answered and puppy photos shared
As one anesthetic doctor has commented on the Sydney page. “I just wanted to say I look in on this page every day and am amazed at the kindness and support that people are reaching out with. It definitely keeps me going during this crazy time.”
“Spread love, not hate and we can keep working on building a community together.”
The Sydney page also shows evidence of an anonymous, yet “incredibly generous lady” who is donating thirty toiletry packs, 12 break-room packs and ten activities packs to healthcare workers. The post asks healthcare workers to simply comment on which wards/departments they would like the packs delivered to.
Healthcare workers are also invited to share their postcode, if they’re looking to be ‘adopted’, so local people can reach out and be available to help with their needs.
A call has also been put out from the Aboriginal Health Worker for Palliative Care & Chronic and Complex needs at Westmead & Randwick Children’s hospitals for those seeking a knitting or crocheting project from isolation to create different sized teddies for kids in the hospital. The post’s been shared over 100 times, with hundreds of comments.
Check out the Sydney page and similar pages in your state and city. It’s a great opportunity to offer your help, where you can. And to even adopt a healthcare worker to support and help them, as they work to help and support others.