BOLZANO. Christmas has always been the holiday to be spent with the family, among the dearest loved ones. But there are also those who can’t afford to give up, e.g must remain on the front line even during these hours. Doctors, nurses and all hospital workers, for example.
A person who knows Christmas in hospital very well is certainly the provincial councilor Hubert Messnerwho until a few years ago was Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Bolzano Hospital: “On Christmas Eve there was always a special atmosphere on duty. Many people brought home-made food and then, as per tradition, we exchanged small gifts for our ‘Engele-Bengele’. Every year, a Christmas tree decorated the Neonatology department and the festive atmosphere spread a feeling of warmth and welcome. We celebrated together with the parents of premature babies admitted to the ward, it was always a wonderful moment of togetherness. The service on Christmas Eve was something very special.”
Also Martin SteinkassererHead of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Bolzano Hospital, has fond memories of those moments: “Spending December 24th in the ward has always been a very special experience. In the morning and early afternoon there was still a lot of work to do: we tried to carry out all urgent tests as quickly as possible and to discharge the majority of patients, especially new mothers, so that they could spend Christmas at home. However, there were also elderly and lonely patients who were happy to be able to stay on the ward. The nurses took special care of these patients: everything was included, from cosmetics to a new hairstyle. Towards the evening, the atmosphere became increasingly calm: tea, biscuits and quiet conversations were an integral part of Christmas Eve. We often sat together in the department kitchen for dinner.”
Tamara StroblMedical Coordinator at San Candido Hospital, can confirm this special atmosphere: “Some patients are sad about being in hospital, while for others it is better this way because at home it would be too stressful for them. It’s difficult when we look after palliative patients: they are usually aware that they may not live to see the following Christmas. We often try to make sure that, on that day, they can go out for a few hours.”
Naturally the hospitals, and especially the wards, are festively decorated several days in advance and, depending on the creativity of the ward team, the Christmas tree sparkles and glitters more or less intensely. In most hospitals, during the weeks preceding Christmas, the Spiritual Assistance team also works hard to accompany people into the right atmosphere. For example, in the atrium of the mezzanine floor of the Merano Hospital, a large nativity scene is always set up. The staff Christmas party cannot miss “Stille Nacht” and “Tu scendi dalle stelle”.
On Christmas Eve, the Spiritual Assistance team together with the District Management and a musical band bring Christmas greetings to the departments with a Christmas present for the staff. Those who wish receive a walnut shell that can be transformed into a mini-crib, in which the Baby Jesus is placed in the evening. For the Spiritual Assistance team, one thing is certain: “Christmas is a celebration of family that evokes strong feelings and emotions in different ways, both in young and old. Memories are awakened and shared. These too are often a topic of discussion with Spiritual Assistance.”
On Christmas Eve itself, a special menu is served at Silandro in San Candido, so that patients hospitalized in hospital can also experience the celebration from a culinary point of view: “It is important that this special moment is perceived, contemplated , breathed,” they say Marlen Hofer e His clamps of the kitchen of the Brunico Hospital. “Every year, on Christmas Eve, when a group of violinists visits our hospital and the various departments, all those who have to stay here during the Christmas holidays are thrilled, but the staff also enjoy a few moments of lightheartedness. Not to mention the Christmas biscuits, which are welcomed with great gratitude.” Anyone who works in healthcare knows that it’s not a Monday to Friday job. However, the men and women of the healthcare company are naturally also people who have a private life, family, friends and Christmas traditions.
Tamara Strobl recalls: “The December shift plan is always very interesting. Everyone is looking forward to it and that’s how it was for me too. Like our previous coordinator, I always try to organize the shift so that every year there is a rotation and that those with younger children can have that day off. I also make sure to organize shifts so that those who work over Christmas have New Year’s Day off and vice versa. However, there is the possibility to volunteer for one of the holiday shifts. And this happens: there are always volunteers who want to work on those days.”
The specialist Luca SebastianelliHead of Neurorehabilitation at Vipiteno Hospital, takes care of particularly fragile patients: “This day is always very touching in our department. Our patients stay with us for several months, which is why an intense relationship develops with them which can almost be compared to that of an extended family”. On Christmas Eve, both patients and staff celebrate together in the morning and, those who are able to do so, prepare sweets as part of the therapy. They sing together, accompanied by members of the team who play various instruments.
In the afternoon, the Vipiteno musical band stops at the hospital and performs Christmas songs, followed by Holy Mass and greetings from the District Management. Even patients are transformed on this day, says Luca Sebastianelli: “There is an atmosphere of hope and peace. Our patients come from a very difficult period and it is not always easy to get back to life in these cases. But at Christmas we realize that hope is rekindled.” Sebastianelli remembers in particular a young patient in a vegetative state, with tears running down his face during the Christmas party. From then on, the patient slowly improved and made progress. If you ask the collaborators on duty in the hospitals, they all confirm that on New Year’s Eve it is much harder: parties, alcohol and firecrackers are a dangerous combination.
Christmas Eve is, however, relatively quiet, according to Sylvia WeissCoordinator of the Emergency Department of the Silandro Hospital: “Sometimes these are domestic accidents or patients suffering from flu”. The situation is completely different on other holidays, when it is necessary to take care of a larger number of orthopedic and trauma patients practicing winter sports. Unfortunately, you can’t plan how to “celebrate” on duty. Coordinator Tamara Strobl remembers: “Once I worked the night shift and I was on duty with a colleague, we brought the chocolate mousse with us but we couldn’t eat it because we had a lot to do all night. At Christmas, there are usually only seriously ill patients who cannot be discharged and for this reason there is often a lot of work.” We try to make this day a little more “special”, even if little changes in terms of times: treatments, therapies and medical visits still take place.
The Head of Psychiatry of Bressanone Roger Pycha he knows how people who have to work on this day feel and advises them to be enthusiastic and attentive. As a doctor, he recognizes that patients need help more during the holidays and are especially happy and grateful when they receive it. If the working atmosphere is good, colleagues support and support each other: Coordinator Strobl says that some are very kind and bring something sweet or a small gift for the team. If the children are hospitalized, the whole affair seems even more complicated, but the little ones are stronger than you might think: they are able to deal with situations well, even when things go differently than they would like, the it is important that everything is explained adequately. The more positively parents view hospitalization, the more normal it becomes for children. It is usually more difficult for parents, siblings or grandparents: at Christmas people are generally more thoughtful and sensitive, even those who say they don’t care. In the five birthing rooms in South Tyrol there is a very special atmosphere: the children (usually) decide for themselves when they want to be born and some choose a very special date.
The Midwife Coordinator Sabine Anrater from the delivery room of the Merano hospital knows that, statistically speaking, two or three children will be born that night: “Births cannot be planned and therefore, until the end, it is not known exactly how many ‘Christmas babies’ will be able to come into the world. However, I particularly remember Christmas Eve 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, when as many as five babies were born at the same time, which was really hectic….” She remembers that the sweets brought by her colleagues that day remained intact until the end: “The person who worked the night shift ate them,” she says, laughing.