White Coat, Black Art –the back story!

I so love this show, and not just because I'm going to be on it! Dr. Brian Goldman is a medical journalist, author and ER physician based in Toronto.

The two men looking at the Tay River

Dr. Goldman interviewed me and my husband, on July 11th, for his show on unpaid caregivers, which will air November 19th. He is a fabulous interviewer. He makes you feel right at home, actually he was *in* our home! While the tape was running my cat started playing with his audio cable. We both kept on trucking. It was a hoot.

He spoke to me about my Unpaid Caregiving, both for my late parents and the volunteer hospice work I do. I consider myself a patient advocate, and work hard to improve the conditions of my clients; helping them find services, pain relief, a good death, and creating a Life Review. My most recent video of my friend, Kay Devlin: Celebration of a Life Worth Living.


After interviewing the two of us, we went into town. 

Meals on Wheels

Next, Dr. Brian went in with my husband, Joe, as the team was putting together the Meals on Wheels lunch delivery in Lanark Lodge. Hilarity ensued. There is a large team of people in our community that put together the supports to enable seniors to stay in their homes for as long as they can. We took him on a meal delivery. We consider ourselves a small part of this team.

Joe prepares to dispatch
Meals on Wheels

Next we headed off and treated Dr. Brian to lunch at Fiddleheads, where I told a guy to turn off the rude video he was playing loudly on his Crackberry! 


Then, we took Dr. Brian into the long-term care residence, where I volunteer on a weekly basis. 



Now, I made nothing in royalties for my book sales from January to June of this year. NADA! It is very hard to market a book in Canada if you co-publish, or self-publish. A 'best seller' in Canada means selling 5000 copies! Not that I am complaining, as it won't make very much difference to complain! I have given away more books than I have sold. I want people to read it and hopefully learn something from it.

Mildred (1940 - 2011) and her puzzle cat

The reward came in the writing of my story, and the research I did for the book, while I was working on my M.A. in Counselling Psychology. You better understand your life if you use a journal, and put pen to paper. This is an essential tool for caregivers to fight Caregiver Stress.

The joy has come from the people I meet when flogging my book. Since then I have been speaking to groups. I spoke at the NSM Palliative Care Conference: Stories in Palliative Care, and volunteered with Hospice Muskoka, and now Community Home Support Lanark County, near our new home.

My inspiration comes in understanding what  A Good Death can look like, and making it possible. Many cannot deal with death and dying. You can read about my efforts at finding a comforter for a Sens fan: #ComforterQuest. It was a small thing to do, but meant a great deal to a dying man.

End-of-life and palliative care is a specialty many of professionals cannot face.  For those dedicated to improving health, it is often difficult to face death. The barriers to a good death can be immense. The impact on caregivers is huge, and can have lifelong effects. There are many out there who can help. Check out the hospice associations your area. Volunteers can make a difference.

White Coat Black Art Program

—Saturday, November 19th at 11:30 a.m. and again on Mondays at 11:30 a.m. on CBC Radio One.

Also, Chris Must came to the house to interview us, and to take a photo for his article.

Author's research aimed at caregivers - EMC Perth

Chris Must, Perth EMC

Medical broadcaster Dr. Brian Goldman interviews Perth resident and author Jennifer Jilks July 7 for a CBC radio show (WCBA: "White Coat, Black Art") on the plight of unpaid caregivers, to be aired in the fall.

Volunteers make the world go around

'It's the year of the volunteer but recruiting is tough'

By Craig Skinner (2001)

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

Myself and Mary - Hospice Muskoka volunteers

   • 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)

Coaches volunteer

• Download the Fact Sheet »
• Download the Research Summary Report »
• Download the Full Report »

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.

Volunteer Canada: find an organization near you.

Volunteers make the world go around 

• which offer opportunities to give back to one's community

• the local church ladies, 
• the S.T.O.P. folks on the snowmobile trails
• Volunteers who garden,  
• Meals on Wheels,
• Victim Services,  
• Dignity House Day Hospice (Perth)
• Cranberry Festival
• Hospice home visitors.