• Meals on Wheels
• Transportation to Medical Appointments
• Foot Care
• Diners' Club
• Home Help/Home Maintenance
• Friendly Visiting
• Security/Reassurance Contact via phone or personal visits
• Volunteer Hospice Visiting Service
• Respite Care
• Grief Counselling
• Lanark County Bereavement Groups for adults and children
Many are ignorant of local services which allow seniors to manage their Home Care. Most are free or have nominal costs.
Hearing aids are so small! How many of us argued with parents to get them?!
I was happy to attend the presentation of cheques to local service organisations. The Maddens presented red envelopes to Perth's Meals on Wheels representatives, The Table Community Food Centre, The Salvation Army, with donations from their recent fundraising campaign.
There are amazing people in rural Ontario. Cottage Country increasingly means a lot of us who are retiring to cottage country. With our health intact, our family's raised, we can now turn our energies to volunteering. Madoc has a wonderful park, built with grants, and it is a great place for kids to play!
I have now volunteered for Hospice in both the Muskoka region and Lanark County, Ontario.
Hospice Muskoka runs children's Expressive Arts Therapy Bereavement groups, as do many. My local hospice group has bereavement groups for adults and children. Dignity House Day Hospice, in Perth, Ontario, is an adult day away program for those with life-threatening illnesses.
The big cities have their health issues; the small towns have theirs. I was amazed to travel to Heart of Hastings Hospice, where they have successfully bought and renovated a hospice building, with three years of sustainable funding. The building houses their hospice office.
June Callwood Award
I first became aware of the opportunities for hospice-type volunteering, reading the book, Twelve Weeks in Spring;A woman's seminal role in the hospice movement. A woman's seminal role in the hospice movement.
Twelve Weeks in Spring is the inspiring story of a group of people who came together to help a friend battling cancer, and thereby discovered their own unexpected strength and humanity.
In February 1985, 68-year-old Margaret Frazer was told by her doctor she had terminal cancer. A retired, single woman, whose family was far away, she faced a situation all too familiar in our society -- a lonely death in a sterile hospital.
Many of the women in the Heart of Hastings Hospice organisation have this award:
in Madoc, Ontario. They have a robust website, with photos of the recent opening, Aug. 18th.
Myths of hospice abound. Palliative care is a type of healthcare delivery, when interventions and treatment plans have changed to a palliative strategy: keeping the client comfortable.
In the USA you must be declared palliative to qualify for services. This is not the case in Canada. Individuals qualify for Home Care based on various indications.
OTTAWA —The Canadian government is trying to encourage people to get involved in their communities, but the call is often falling on deaf ears.
I was quite shocked to hear a Carleton University leader complaining on the radio this morning that older Canadians aren't volunteering. This is why they have had to produce a conference to teach young people how to volunteer. In fact, it's the young people, the Me generation, who do not volunteer.
My goodness. I have volunteered in a number of fields. I ended up volunteering as a Victim Services Volunteer. Sitting on the Board of Directors of Muskoka's Children's Aid Society. Many of the volunteers are retired teachers, principals, or people working in a field of social justice.
Nan, sandwiched by Howard (L) and Frank (R)
Habitat for Humanity volunteer Site Supervisors
In my work with Hospice in both Muskoka and Lanark County, I have found many retired nurses who pick up the slack in services. There simply are not enough Personal Suppor Workers (PSWs) or nurses in the field of senior services. Ads abound in local rural newspapers for both to fill vacant positions in Transfer Payment Agencies, like Red Cross, or non-profits, as well as institutional long-term care (LTC) homes. I volunteered as Family Council chair in my Dad's LTC home, and in an Expressive Arts Therapy Group for children. My husband volunteered delivering Meals on Wheels. We both volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity Build in Bala, Ontario. Many of the volunteers were retirees. Some were in their 70s, like Nan, who was there EVERY DAY OF THE BUILD.
The number of volunteers in these places would astound you. You see, I burned out caregiving for my parents while teaching, and retired at age 50. I realized, having done so much caregiving for my parents that there was a huge niche that needed filling. Since the healthcare professionals are not there to support caregivers, the volunteers are stepping in. I lost a great deal giving up a career caregiving, and needed to feel as if what I did made a difference.
There are a great number of seniors living longer, better lives. This great myth of the burdens that seniors will place on health care is appalling. Seniors are living long, better lives. Many serve in a number of different organizations. Canadians aged 55+ are most generous with volunteer hours:A study revealed Canadians over 55 are the most generous with volunteer hours- Macleans.ca
Firefighter volunteer
In fact...we are out there in droves, far above any other age group. I met people 50+, whose careers/jobs/work (photographer, crafters, artists, etc.) meant that they could carve out some time to volunteer. We have the education, the time and the inclination. We've learned, through our jobs, to be sensitive, we have life skills and experiences. Our generation has learned to be politically correct, we understand cultural differences, ethnic and religious morays. We have worked with old style leaders and bosses; we know how to handle difficult clients!
The Characteristics of Boomer Volunteers • Clear leaders -- in terms of average hours of volunteering compared to other groups • Impressive overall participation rates – consistently among the highest • Meaningful engagement – boomers look for purpose in their volunteer activities
• Available time and flexibility – boomers have more time and relatively flexible schedules compared to other groups • Expectation of organization – boomers want organizations to be efficient and effective in their management of volunteers and staff • Loyalty – Boomers indicated they are willing to stay at an organization for many years as long as they are treated well
New research shares practical information for use by volunteer organizations to attract and retain skilled, dedicated volunteers among four specific demographic groups: youth, families, boomers and employer-supported volunteers. (Volunteer Canada Survey)
Respondents in the survey indicated that the optimal formula to engage volunteers strikes a balance between:
Designing specific, set roles and being open to volunteers determining the scope of what they can offer;
Being well organized but not too bureaucratic; and
Matching skills to the needs of the organization but not assuming that everyone wants to use the skills related to their profession, trade, or education
Organizations reported five common characteristics of their volunteer programs:
Jack and Linda Hutton (Bala) receive awards
from (then mayor) Susan Pryke
1. Their volunteer base tends to be younger;
2. Many of their leadership volunteers are older;
3. More new Canadians are seeking volunteer opportunities;
4. Most do not have the tools, training, and strategies in place to engage youth, families, baby boomers,
and employer-supported volunteers, particularly using a skills-based approach; and
5. Many do not have the capacity to involve groups
Many cities offer incredibly well-run websites for those looking to volunteer: Volunteer Ottawa.
Perth has a fine community of caring, kindred spirits. As I said to a friend, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a retired nurse volunteer in Lanark County!
I am very proud to be involved in this project.
Alanna Scanlon -- Nurse Coordinator Day Hospice Program
I am a Hospice volunteer. I am proud to be part of the
Dignity House Day Hospice, Perth, Ontario, planned for January 17, 2010. There will be one Nurse in charge, with 5 trained volunteers.
The program runs from 10:00 - 3:00, on Mondays. The goal, of course, is a 24/7 Hospice, but this is a great first step.
I have lauded those in Muskoka who continue to work hard on behalf of others. Moving closer to Ottawa, I see our citizens who perform these acts in many venues:
Hospice, which offer opportunities to give back to one's community.
I've been working on the blog for the Habitat for Humanity build site in Bala. It is called the Patty Parsons Project. Read the blog for more information! The semi-detached homes are almost ready, they began in May.
I have seen their motto "a hand up, not a hand out". Sometimes many hands are necessary to make a project move forward. The planning, preparing, thinking it all out.
After stuffing for 3 hrs. we stuffed ourselves
I was happy to help prepare badges and stuff bags for the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association Conference in Ottawa this week. Many hands make light work. Most of you know my mother died of cancer, and my father, a brain tumour. This journey is the topic of my book, and Hospice is the focal point of my volunteer work.
Stuffing bags for conference attendees
Linda Truglia, in black T, giving us training!
Last year the Conference was in Winnipeg, a bit far for me, as a volunteer, to travel.Especially since I loathe leaving my family behind.
After, good conversation with all!
This year, I will be helping by moderating an interest group session (Long-Term Care), as well as being a room moderator on one afternoon for three sessions. It makes for an joyful time, with a generous spirit of contribution, allowing me to attend sessions in which I am interested.
Why do these people volunteer? At a conference such as this, there are opportunities for networking. Some are regular Hospice or Palliative Care hospital volunteers.
Others are looking for work, and to put this opportunity on a resume shows that you are hard-working, and dedicated. You can develop contacts who will give you advice.
Also, to attend a conference, you can learn a lot about a topic, with front line workers, physicians, nurses, clinicians, and other volunteers who use their time to work well with others!
I found that volunteering at educational conferences kept me cutting edge, and up-to-date on current developments.
At the end of my 'career', if you can call it that, there was much reward in accepting student teachers, mentoring new teachers, and delivering workshops to peers and parents of school-age students. I was just interviewed by a young lady who is writing an article on seniors using technology and social media. This gave me some perspective in that my years in the field have not gone unnoticed.
BTW
All dressed up for shopping,
waiting in the bum chair
for mommy and Gamma to get dressed.
Many men and women my age are using the Internet for good, for fun, and to connect with peers, family and friends. That is the premise of her article, methinks!
The Internet is, of course, how I heard about this conference. Young people do not realize how involved we were. My mother learned to use a computer at the ripe age of 50, at work, to create office newsletters in 1975. I was so proud of her! She carried on a long tradition of volunteering in Toronto and Muskoka. I am glad to follow in her footsteps.
I learned to use computers and piloted the computer-generated report cards a Carleton Board teacher invented in 1991. Time flies!
Gamma, did you have to bring the camera?
Where's my lunch?
You make think me totally altruistic, but after finishing about 8:30 p.m. downtown, I was able to sleep over
at the kid's house, and visit with them the next morning.
A shop-till-you-drop at the mall, and lunch out with the 'girls', Caitlin and Isabelle (7 mos.!) was a nice treat.
It was with great delight that I attended the Butterfly Ball at the Muskoka Wharf Gallery. A fundraiser for Hospice Muskoka, many made valuable financial and temporal contributions.
As a Hospice Muskoka volunteer I have a deep commitment to helping families manage the care of family members in palliative care. I blog about current issues in Health Care - having done much research for my book.
Hospice Muskoka has two beds in the local hospital
Be sure to visit the Hospice Muskoka website (click on the logo) for more information. (or here: To make a donation. )Sandra Winspear (right), our Executive Director, is a hard-working person committed to helping provide care to clients and their families at home, in hospital, in seniors' residences and Long-Term Care home. We welcome volunteers, people to serve on committees, and donations.
We are only funded 22% by the government, yet provide an important service by volunteering in the community. Fundraising consumes much time and energy. Volunteers are reimbursed mileage, but otherwise we are experienced, trained caregivers who have taken the Foundations of Palliative Care Course, a provincially-mandated program delivered by RNs. Quality End-of-life care: the right of every Canadian.
We provide
companionship, a listening ear, reading aloud, simple comfort measures (i.e., Therapeutic Touch), assistance with daily activities, writing letters, relief for caregivers, telephone support, bereavement follow-up, bedside vigil while family members rest.
There is much misinformation about palliative care, perpetuated by the myths surrounding pain and pain management. That said, this fundraiser was wonderful fun-filled event. Jim, suitably attired, affable host and owner of Muskoka Bay Gallery & Gifts, hams it up with hard-working Elke Scholz. She is a well known artist and expressive arts therapist.
Elke and I exchanged books at the last hospice volunteer conference, Live~Love~Laugh, and I am taking great delight in reading it, with a wealth of creative emotional and spiritual activities for those dealing with affective beliefs.
Patrons ambled around, viewing the incredible pieces on view. I must admit that my garden contains many pieces purchased here!
Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound Muskoka was there in support. While Sandra Winspear, Executive Director of Hospice Muskoka listens attentively.
Norm Miller
Riverwalk Executive Chef, David Friesen, prepared delicious treats for all - right there on the porch.
Everyone waited with baited breath, including my husband, as Sandra chose another draw winner. There were several door prizes.
Jack and Linda Hutton were there, long-time supporters of Hospice and pillars of the Bala volunteer community, including Meals on Wheels.
Artist: Elsa Boisjoly; a delightful francophone, spoke with guests. Incredible works with butterflies and flowers. The colours are wonderfully vibrant.
Sandra auctioned one of Elsa's painting; with proceeds to Hospice.
Marcel, of Imagine Wood , here chatting with customers. He donated butter knives for the gift bags we all took home. (We bought a scoop, too!)
The event was spearheaded by the affable actor turned bank manager, Kyla Taylor, of National Bank. She radiates energy and enthusiasm, a new supporter of Hospice Muskoka. I loved watching her - my actor son, I know, exhibits the same "on" qualities!
Janice Smith, and Sandra Winspear, of Hospice Muskoka worked from their office.
Many thanks to all who made this event a fine one, in Muskoka tradition!
I am proud of the services our local communities offer in Ontario. For more services, visit www.211ontario.ca or call 211 for information. Also, Canadian VirtualHopsice.ca, or HospiceNet.org.
The Maddens presented red envelopes to Perth's Meals on Wheels representatives, The Table Community Food Centre, The Salvation Army, with donations from their recent fundraising campaign.
