“CARE”NEWS PALLIATIVE - gpcare.ca · Summer 2018 PALLIATIVE “CARE”NEWS Website Launch We are extremely excited to announce the Launch of our New “Let’s Talk about Care”

Summer 2018

PALLIATIVE “CARE” NEWS

Website Launch

We are extremely excited to announce the Launch of our New “Let’s Talk about Care”

Website. This beautiful website has a user friendly interface making it easy to access

resources, events, workshops and contact us. There are resources for persons with a

life limiting illness, loved ones, friends, volunteers and healthcare professionals to

access for each stage of care.

• Check out our new website @ www.gphospice.ca or visit us on Facebook

@ GP Hospice Palliative Care Society

• Our new website allows you to browse our resources and workshops with

ease. A simple click of a button allows you to download a resource or

book a workshop that may be of interest to you.

• Check in often because our downloadable resource library is growing

every day.

Sponsored by

Community Workshops Website Launch Virtual Care Project Let’s Talk about Care Save the Date

http://www.gphospice.ca/

Summer 2018


Let’s Talk About Care

GPHPCS is excited to launch this resource. It can be utilized as a complete document

or as individual tools. It is a one stop resource for all the basic things you need from

diagnosis to after. It provides information, tips, tools and resources for the following:

• Confronting a life limiting Illness – giving those faced with illness

affirmation about what they are feeling, things they may need to address

and where they can find support

• Let’s Start the Conversation – is a tool to help people prepare for and start

the difficult conversation about death and their wishes. This booklet helps

the reader reflect on what their personal values are, their life goals, and

finding a spokesperson. It also provides tools to help record your wishes

after you have had the conversation with your loved ones.

• Care for the Caregiver – offers self-care tools and resources for those,

both professional and personal, caring for someone at end of life.

• Compassion Fatigue – explains compassion fatigue, signs, and

symptoms. This booklet provides tools, tips, tricks and resources to

recognize, and combat compassion fatigue.

• Practical Guide for Family members and Caregivers Coping with a loss –

this guide gives detail on what to expect once someone dies. It gives you

a checklist of items you will need to have available, how to access death

certificates and supports to find funeral arrangements. It gives you

information on financial assistance, life insurance, and settling estates. It

also provides grief resources, tools, and when to seek professional help

Summer 2018


Community Care Workshops

The Community Care Pilot Project is in full swing. This project is graciously supported

by FCSS City of Grande Prairie and its goal is to provide supports, tools and resources

for both the professional and personal caregiver. GPHPCS recognizes that grief is fluid

and moves in and out of our lives in varying forms and times. The goals of these

workshops are to provide tools and mental wellness techniques for all persons caring

for people in varying stages of end-of-life.

Programs

Comfort Care Bags - With ongoing support of GPHPCS Comfort Care Bag Program

we can continue to supply hospice patients and their families with a Comfort Care Bag

upon admission. Our program has grown to the extent that we are starting to be able to

individualize the content of each bag to meet the specific need of the client and family.

The Comfort Care Bag Program has grown outside the hospice and into the community

by word of mouth, newsletters, information provided on our website and Facebook. We

are now receiving community and personal requests for palliative care families living

outside the hospice.

Memory Globes - Memory Globes serve two very important purposes in palliative, end-

of-life care here at the Grande Prairie Hospice Palliative Care Society.

The globes were created to symbolize the memory of someone very special to you. The

butterfly within the globe has deep meaning in many cultures. To Native Americans, the

butterfly is a symbol of change, joy and color. The exquisite butterfly was considered a

miracle of transformation and resurrection, representing the never-ending life cycle. In

early Christianity, the butterfly was a symbol of the Soul. Therefore; when you look at

the globe it is meant to make you smile and recall a beautiful memory of a loved one

that is gone but not forgotten.

Living Wall - The rejuvenation of the Living Wall in the foyer at Points West Hospice is

in full swing. Staff and volunteers have completed the take down and sterilization of the

area. New soil and temporary plants have been added to the space while a long term

sustainable plan is put in place for the wall.

Summer 2018


Events

Butterfly Release – The 2nd Annual Butterfly Release was a huge success! We Sold close to 250 Butterflies and had over 600 people show up to support this great cause. A very special thank you again to our Sponsors for making this happening:

Meghan Robinson for your generous donation of $1500 in butterfly sales!

Secure Energy - Hot Dogs and Burgers Maximum Tank Truck Services - Water & Juice Kemko - Kids Zone Face Painting & Games

Sunflower Sales – GPHPCS staff went into the local schools to talk with the students

about palliative care and ask them to paint flower pots for our 1st Annual Sunflower

Fundraiser. A Special thank you to JDA Oilfield and Canadian Tire for donating the

funds to purchase pots for the students to paint, and Fenton’s Greenhouse for donating

all the sunflowers for the pots. This was a fantastic campaign to start talking openly with

kids about palliative care and grief. All proceeds from the sale of the Sunflower pots will

be utilized to improve palliative care resources and supports in our communities.

Summer 2018


Volunteers

Developing volunteer programs for hospice is a slow and steady process. We are happy

to announce that we have a few regular volunteers at PWL Hospice and several more

developing skills to become palliative care volunteers. We also have volunteers

interested in becoming virtual volunteers as soon as the Virtual Care Program is

implemented.

Volunteer Opportunities

We are seeking volunteers for the following programs:

Friendly Visitor – Friendly visitors go to the facility and visit residents that could benefit

from a little extra company. Most residents a Friendly Visitor visits are still high

functioning and interact with their visitors very well.

Palliative Care Vigil – These volunteers are given extensive training and support to

provide presence and support to those very close to death.

Pet Visitation – we are seeking volunteers with well trained and groomed animals

interested in providing Pet Visitation to hospice. Pets are required to be up to date on

their vaccinations and pass a screening process to ensure they are suitable in the

palliative care environment.

Summer 2018


Helping Hands – This is an excellent way to help volunteers become comfortable with

palliative care and the facility environment. Volunteers can come into the facility, water

plants, help decorate, wash dishes, fold laundry allowing the staff more one to one time

with the residents needing their attention. Points West Hospice is a unique nursing

environment where nurses not only provide nursing care, they wash and fold laundry,

serve meals and wash dishes, care for all the living plants in the facility, decorate for

seasons, special occasions and events and so much more. Volunteer can help lighten

their workload allowing the nursing staff more time to provide nursing care.

Coming Soon

Virtual Care Program – Virtual “Care” in the palliative care field has been a vision of

the GPHPCS for a very long time. This vision has moved into the next faze with the help

and support of our local Rotary Club. The Rotary has provided funding to purchase

iPads and smart devices for people utilizing PWL Hospice for care. These devices will

be equipped with:

• Skype and What’s app for families to stay in contact no matter where they

are.

• Kobo Books with a list of Palliative Books to provide support, stories and

resources for palliative persons and those around them.

• GPHPCS App allowing a direct link to our website, resources and

supports 24/7

• YouTube App with a list of Palliative supports, stories and videos

• Better Impact Link to learn about hospice volunteers, what volunteer

programs are available, how to become a volunteer, and logging volunteer

hours

• Slack App for palliative persons or those around them to access volunteer

Summer 2018


Special Thanks

Thanks to the dedication and support of ALL our Donors we are able to

continue to provide Expert end-of-life care to our community and the

communities in the surrounding areas.

Grande Prairie Hospice Palliative Care Society Funded in part by:

Summer 2018


Kevin Willsey and Kasa Management LTD

Grande Prairie Hospice Palliative Care Society

Special Donations and Gifts In-kind

BETH’S BOOKS

Documents

“CARE”NEWS PALLIATIVE - gpcare.ca · Summer 2018 PALLIATIVE “CARE”NEWS Website Launch We are extremely excited to announce the Launch of our New “Let’s Talk about Care”