RUMFORD — For many years, with space at a premium, Rumford Hospital had not had a dedicated chapel or quiet room for the families of patients.

After the new building was added and moves were complete, a small room off the 1926 original hospital lobby was refurbished, furnished and decorated to become a space where families can go for periods of quiet meditation or conversation, removed from the busier pace of patient care areas.

Mindy Worthley, hospital social worker, and Janice Durland, RN, a medical-surgical nurse, were charged with creating a space that would serve as a respite for families. Both had been involved in developing the hospital’s Comfort Care protocols for caring for hospice patients, so were acutely aware of what families want when their loved ones are hospitalized with serious illnesses.

“We looked to create a space for loved ones to get away, a place where they could just sit quietly or have private family talks,” said Worthley.

“The space is far enough from the patient unit to give a sense of ‘being away’ while still allowing the family to be easily summoned should they be needed,” said Durland.

The pair teamed up to select a calming wall color, muted fabrics and subtle lighting to make the room warm and welcoming with a quiet glow.

The original quiet room/chapel had been created in memory of Antonio Natale Puiia and the plaque that graced that space is now outside the door of the new Sacred Space.

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