Helping hands and caring hearts
Support of hospice meant a great deal to Carrie Moore
It wasn’t until her husband was ill and dying that Carrie Moore learned of the services provided by Colchester-east Hants Hospice Society. e organization was so helpful, she’s now training to be a volunteer.
“When George was ill, I felt I needed somebody to talk to, and somebody mentioned hospice,” she recalled. “I made an appointment with the palliative social worker and talked for about an hour. She was great.”
Staff and volunteers with the organization met with both Carrie and George after that, and volunteers would call to see how they were doing.
Her husband was in the palliative care unit seven or eight days before dying from cancer, in December 2016, at the age of 62.
“When George passed away, it was probably the hardest thing that I ever went through in my life,” she said. “I’d lost other people, but they were older. We’d been married 12 years, and I thought we’d have more time together.
“I was very pleased with the support I got from hospice. I was made to feel very comfortable, right from the beginning.”
A volunteer invited Carrie to a couple of social events, and she found it helpful to get out and be around people.
“I wanted to be busy, so I thought about volunteering,” she said. “I had no preconceived idea of what I wanted to do at rst, but then I asked the hospice volunteer coordinator about volunteering. I thought, who better to work with the family of someone who’s dying than someone who’s been through it.”
Since her husband died, she’s also had friends pass away; she feels her experiences have enabled her to feel more empathy for others in similar situations.
Carrie said talking about death doesn’t make her feel uncomfortable, and she feels she could provide comfort by visiting the palliative care unit to talk with people who are dying, and their families.