What is spoken in the room stays here: Olka volunteers support patients at Tampere University Hospital

"What is spoken in the room stays here," Aamulehti reports as Olka volunteers support patients at Tampere University Hospital

In Tampere, about 100 trained Olka volunteers work as lobby attendants and conversation partners on cancer wards and in palliative care, providing support alongside nurses rather than replacing them. The program is run across Pirkanmaa’s four hospitals, including Sastamala and Valkeakoski, and volunteers choose their tasks and hours without a fixed commitment.

Kristiina Leinonen, who has volunteered with Olka since spring 2024, says many seriously ill patients find it easier to talk to a stranger than burden their loved ones with grief. The volunteers meet patients as needed, serve as talk companions, and help with navigation around the hospital. "There are no easy words; what matters is listening to what the patient wants to tell," Leinonen notes. Olka coordinator Eveliina Jussila and organizer Anniina Ahlholm emphasize that volunteers do the talking and Olka coordinates the overall operation. The paper adds that stays are usually short, so most patients are met only once, underscoring that the work hinges on absolute trust: "What is spoken in the room stays here." The next basic hospital volunteer training session is scheduled for May 4.

Aamulehti notes that volunteer work complements care, not replace hospital staff, with coordinators stressing the supportive role of lobby attendants in patient encounters and hospital navigation.