With you, to the end
Hospice society provides comfort on various levels to help ease a family’s burden
There’s an agency in Truro that many people know little about, until they face one of the most difficult aspects of life – dying.
The Colchester-east Hants Hospice Society and the palliative care unit at the Colchester-east Hants Health Centre work closely to help those facing the end of life, and their families.
“What we have here is pretty unique,” said Dr. David Henderson, director of the Palliative Care Program in Colchester-east Hants. “Most other hospices don’t o er many programs.”
Several years ago, he and other people working in palliative care recognized gaps in what was available in the area. ey talked about hospice being able to take on the role, secured funding, and hired social workers to provide support. ings then continued to grow.
“I think it’s been hugely bene - cial,” said Henderson, the palliative care representative on the hospice board. “People see the name, but don’t pay much attention until they need the services. We live in a society where people are not keen to talk about death and dying until it’s necessary. It’s a natural thing that happens to everybody, but there’s a lot of fear, and most of that is fear of the unknown.”
The society has a palliative social worker with the care team, who o ers counselling to the dying person and their family. ere are people to help navigate the healthcare system, provide information about wills and nances, and connect them with other agencies when needed.
“Dying is expensive,” said Craig Johnson, executive director of the Colchester-east Hants Hospice Society. “ ere can be loss of wages and need for a caregiver. We can help with qualifying for the caregiver bene t and accessing support in the community.
“We provide comfort and care for end of life to ensure people have the dignity they deserve.”
The society’s Food from the Heart program provides gift cards for Sobeys to help families through a difficult time.
Emotional support is provided through visits and calls. Event like the recent Death Café provide people with an opportunity to talk about issues surrounding death.
“It’s important the community understand what they’ve built here,” said Johnson. “During the last 10 years it’s really become a robust organization. It receives no government funding; it’s built by the community.”
Much of the work of the organization is done by volunteers, who receive training. ey handle things such as visits and making calls, baking for the palliative care unit and running the kitchen, knitting afghans, and helping with community and education events.
“The volunteers are comfortable with death as a natural part of life,” said Henderson. “When we start to understand better, we recognize it as a valuable time of life.
A report for the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association listed the local hospice society as one of 11 innovative models of the integrated palliative approach to care from Canada, England, New Zealand and Australia
More information on the Colchester-east Hants Hospice Society can be found online at http:// cehhospice.org/ or by calling 902893-3265.
NATIONAL HOSPICE PALLIATIVE CARE WEEK MAY 5-12