Hospice Awareness Week            (Advance October 6, 2002)
 

HOSPICE AWARENESS WEEK IS IN OCTOBER

     Hospice and  Palliative Care are terms of which we are hearing more in the media and in the health care world, but what do they mean?  The phrase Hospice Care or Palliative Care means a program of active compassionate care primarily directed towards improving the quality of life for the dying (Health and Welfare Canada  Palliative Care Services Guidelines).  

     When someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or is injured in a serious accident, many different specialists gear into action to treat the illness/injury.  This can be a very hectic time, confusing and stressful for the individual and his or her family.  It is also an ideal time to call in a different kind of specialist  one whose focus is the whole person, not just the illness or injury  a visiting hospice volunteer.  Volunteers are specially trained to give support that is sensitive to the needs of individuals and their families, helping to fill in wherever needed.  The support is non-medical, compassionate care that can be provided in client homes, hospitals, nursing homes and retirement residences throughout Muskoka, Parry Sound and Nipissing.

     When the doctor, nurse, Community Care Access Centre representative or perhaps a friend recommends a referral for hospice services, the family may turn down the offer of help, based on a misconception that hospice can be equated with dying.  In truth, although Hospice care is often recommended when someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it is more about how one chooses to live.    A life-threatening illness or injury may be likened to waking up in the middle of the night from a bad dream, disoriented in the darkness and fearful from an undetermined threat.  There is a need for comfort and connection to another person to relieve the fear.  Security can come from merely placing your hand in that of another person who is physically present and trusted.  That security may not require words, just understanding, with assurance coming from the touch itself.  In the situation of the life-threatening illness, the whole family is drawn into the same bad dream with each individual needing the reassurance.  Consequently, the hospice volunteer is of most help when they are being present rather than doing something, especially when families in this situation may have no one to whom they can express their fears.  The volunteer may not be able to fix the situation, but they can certainly care for the people involved and help the family to cope with what is going on.  If treatment for the illness is successful, the family can focus on recovery, knowing that they had support at a crucial time in their lives.  If treatment is unsuccessful and the prognosis becomes palliative, then the volunteer is already present, helping the family as they adjust to the new situation.

     Another facet of hospice is bereavement support.  When family and friends are struggling to adjust to the loss of a loved one, they each may be trying to come to terms with the loss in a personal way.  It may be too difficult to comfort someone else when the grief is large and in charge.  Once again, an objective person like the hospice volunteer who can listen and comfort, may be what is needed to begin working through the grief.   Local hospices offer a wide range of grief support services, from one-on-one volunteer support to grief and/or self-support groups.  

     Hospice support is available in south Muskoka through Hospice Muskoka, in north Muskoka through Hospice Huntsville, in Parry Sound through Hospice West Parry Sound and the Almaguin Palliative Care Team, and in Nipissing through the Near North Palliative Care Network.

Caregiver Meetings: