Mercy Hallmar residents share stories with Linn-Mar students

CEDAR RAPIDS - Everyone has a story to tell.

And now, thanks to some Mercy Medical Center volunteers, residents at the hospital's on-site nursing home get a chance to tell theirs.

Over the past several months, student volunteers have sat with Mercy Hallmar residents to talk about the residents' lives - a favorite childhood memory, places they've traveled or their family - through the Mercy storytellers program. Those conversations are turned into written stories that are collected in a binder for other residents, Mercy employees and visitors to flip through. The resident who shared the story receives a copy as well.

The idea behind the program is simple - it helps residents, staff and visitors learn more about each other. Residents feel like someone is listening and caregivers at the hospital can provide better care.

Meanwhile. the student volunteers have a chance to learn about empathy, be exposed to new experiences and see other viewpoints, program organizers said.

'It's so rewarding to hear these stories and give them to their families,” said Mary Claire Henricksen, one of the student volunteers who also helped develop the program.

Henricksen and Jennifer Jenks - both seniors at Linn-Mar High School and student directors of the school's Writing Center - said they were looking for volunteer opportunities at Mercy and originally pitched reading to children in the pediatric units.

But Jenks said during a meeting with Mercy staff, including Andrea Ault, the hospital's Planetree coordinator, they came up with the idea to instead collect and tell residents' stories.

'Sharing stories helps residents tell people who they are,” Ault said. 'It's another form of identification.”

The two Linn-Mar students recruited seven other students to participate and so far have collected nearly 20 stories. They're hoping to expand the program to the hospital's seventh floor - the transitional care unit that generally has patients who need rehabilitation or longer-term care - and see more members of the community participate, especially since they'll be graduating in the spring.

Those interested in participating can contact the hospital's volunteer service department at (319) 398-6035.

'It's more than just story gathering,” Ault said. 'It's human interaction and connection.”