A compassionate Canada
This is National Hospice Palliative Care Week and the theme for 2018 is: Towards a more compassionate Canada, eh?
It’s meant to encourage Canadians to consider ways community involvement can support the dying and bereavement process.
To help, the Penticton and District Hospice Society and the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association are calling on Canadians to answer these questions:
• What makes a compassionate community?
• How can compassionate communities support end of life care?
“When we think about death and dying we often imagine a hospital setting, and that can be a very frightening image for people,” says CHPCA executive director Sharon Baxter.
“When individuals are actively engaged in their communities they surround themselves with a network of caring allies who can support their end of life wishes and contribute to living well. Within a compassionate communities model, living and dying well becomes everybody’s business.”
“Penticton is fortunate to have a wonderful facility like Moog and Friends Hospice House where compassionate care is the priority,” says Penticton and District Hospice Society spokesperson Karl Crosby.
“It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since Moog and Friends Hospice House opened its doors on May 19, 1998.
“Since that time, with a highly trained professional staff and dedicated volunteers, Hospice House has provided the highest quality end of life care to hundreds of people from the community and surrounding area.”
The Penticton and District Hospice Association is the volunteer organization dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in care for persons approaching death at Moog and Friends Hospice House, Penticton Regional Hospital and in their homes so that the burdens of suffering, loneliness and grief are lessened.
The PDHS also provides for patient comforts by raising funds to purchase equipment and other necessities not normally provided by hospitals.