For more than 35 years, volunteers with the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society have been helping patients and their families with end-of-life care.
Deb Tedford, who is chairman of the board and the society’s volunteer coordinator, says that palliative care starts early on in a person’s physical health change, and that the society’s volunteers can provide emotional support, advice, and materials at every stage of the journey.
“By being there [at the end] we provide peace of mind for the family, because they know someone is there with their loved one,” she says. “But we also provide support in homes, because we want to help the family as early on in the journey as we can. If you have a family member who needs support, or if you need support, we will match a volunteer with you or your loved one and they will follow you through the journey.
“It’s up to you to decide what you need. It can be respite care, or getting together for coffee once a week for something normal. It’s not just about the final days, but about the journey.”
Tedford notes that for both the patient and the family, providing information about navigating the system can be crucial, because it can be very complex. “And sometimes it’s a physical relief for family because you’re spending time with the patient and giving them [the family] a break, or providing literature and resource material to help them cope, or providing an ear to listen to them.”
There is a hospice room at the Ashcroft Hospital which is a flexible space that can also be used for palliative or respite care, but Tedford says it is not always accessible.
“Who goes in there is decided by the physician, or by nurses or staff. We have no control over the room, but we support it with furniture and by making it as comfortable as we can for the patient and the family.”
She adds that having a hospice room available locally can take a huge burden off the patient and their family.
“Not everyone has the physical capability of going into Kamloops to be with the patient in hospice, so having that opportunity here takes a huge stress off the patient who wants to die as close to a home setting as possible, so that they feel at home. They don’t feel displaced; they feel respected and genuinely cared for and are comforted by the fact that they are near familiar support systems.
“Dying is scary, so the more fears you can take away the more respectful the final journey is. It’s all about respect and compassion, and living every day even in the midst of dying. The palliative journey ends in hospice, but we want to be part of that journey long before the final days.”
Tedford says that for the hospice society volunteers, there is less strain and stress than one would expect.
“The anticipation is that dealing with death is stressful and scary, but in fact volunteers derive an enormous amount of satisfaction from what they do, and are appreciated for honouring and giving respect to clients and patients and families and for lending a genuine hand of support. Like with all volunteerism, the satisfaction of knowing you’ve been able to make someone’s day or world or life or death better is rewarding beyond expectation.”
There are 10 hospice volunteers at the moment, and the society is hoping to recruit a few more, which is why they are offering a three-day training workshop which runs from April 14-16 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day) at the Ashcroft Community Hall. There is a $50 fee for the workshop, which includes lunch and snacks each day, but Tedford says the charge is also there because they want people to think very seriously about whether or not being a hospice volunteer interests them: “It can be very emotional for the volunteers.”
She adds that in order to be a hospice volunteer in B.C. you must take the training, and that current volunteers must re-train every five years.
“The workshop teaches us not just about the legalities of being a hospice volunteer, it teaches us the best way to help people cope with life-limiting illness and everything that goes along with that, such as utilizing proper resources, connecting with people in the health care system, navigating in a way that’s best for them. It reminds us of the compassion we must have for each other, and teaches us skills to be able to help someone whose belief system isn’t quite like ours.
“It’s extremely rewarding training, and also very intense in that you’re asking yourself some very searching questions, but it’s an amazing opportunity for awareness. The training teaches us that we are there to listen. That’s a skill you need to be a good hospice volunteer. You’re not trying to solve a problem, you’re just listening.”
Tedford says that while society members are asked to volunteer for four hours a week, that’s not realistic.
“There’s a monthly meeting of two hours on the first Wednesday of each month, but we volunteer with clients as needed, which could be anywhere from two hours a week to four hours a month. It depends on how many clients we have and how many volunteers we have to support them.
“You could be meeting with someone every other week for two hours for coffee, or checking in by phone three times a week. When someone is in hospice we are asked to supply someone every day, which is two to four shifts a day to a maximum of four hours per shift. We don’t ask for more than that.”
The society does occasional fundraising and awareness events, such as their Christmas Memory Tree and an annual spring plant sale. This year’s plant sale is coming up on May 11 and 12, during Canadian Palliative Care Week, and volunteers will be at the Ashcroft post office between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. both days selling indoor plants.
The funds raised go into resources, education, and the Ashcroft hospice room, and Tedford says that anyone who would like to help out with the sale would be welcome: “It could be a way for people to meet volunteers and see if hospice volunteering is for them.”
Tedford adds that the Hospice Society and the South Cariboo E. Fry Society are working on a project called Suddenly One, which they hope to get started this spring. The program is designed for people who find themselves at a bit of a loose end because suddenly they don’t have a partner.
“Life is often in pairs, so when you’re not in a pair anymore you don’t know who to have social relationships with. It’s become very popular in some larger communities, and it’s something we’re working on for the living, because it’s something people don’t think about until they’re in that situation.
“There can be a very real sense of terror when you suddenly have to do things you’re not used to doing and be without that support [from a partner]. People who have lived similar experiences can provide that support.”
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society, the upcoming workshop, or about volunteering with the plant sale can email Tedford at ashcroft.hospice@gmail.com, or call (250) 457-1063 and leave a message.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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