Hospice Peterborough

During National Volunteer Week (April 24 to 30), Gisele Lalonde – one of hundreds of our cherished volunteers – discusses the impact of supporting local women in their palliative journeys

When Gisele Lalonde started volunteering with Hospice Peterborough more than a decade ago, she thought that her role in supporting local women through their palliative journeys would be primarily one of giving her time and energy. Little did she know that she would receive so much.

Gisele says that whether she is sitting at a client’s bedside, serving lunch at the Day Hospice program or offering meditation to program participants over Zoom, she often finds that these unique opportunities encourage her to be more present in her own life.

“It has slowed me down and made me more appreciative of every day,” she says. “It’s hard to describe, and there may be no English word for it, but it feels like my experience with Hospice Peterborough has expanded my awareness of living, ageing, grief and joy. It has certainly made life more poignant.”

Gisele is one of hundreds of Hospice Peterborough volunteers who support our mission of enhancing the comfort, dignity and quality of life of people living with or affected by life-threatening illness or grief. During National Volunteer Week, April 24-30, Hospice Peterborough is sending a special thank-you to each and every one of our volunteers.

For Gisele, the experience over the years has been profound and, to her, the Hospice Community has become a vital and valued connection.  

The retired Community Development Worker says she first started volunteering with the Client Support Program, where she met with local women in their homes to listen to their stories throughout their end-of-life journey. She also met with family members and caregivers who appreciated the respite that the Hospice program provided.

Currently, she volunteers with the Day Hospice Women’s Group, led by a staff member. Prior to COVID she met with the women in person at the Hospice building and also helped serving lunch. The meetings could be intense and emotional, she says, but could also be full of joy and laughter.

During the first wave of COVID, she thought her volunteer days might be over but was amazed at how quickly Hospice Peterborough pivoted the women’s group to a virtual platform, allowing for continued connection and support.

“It is such a privilege to continue to bear witness to their journey and also participate in the happiness of good news such as positive test results, a trip, or a new grandchild,” she says. “The meetings are peppered with every emotion: laughter, grief, anger, frustration, love and joy. I feel ‘full’ to be a part of it all”

Gisele continues to offer a meditation to open the Zoom meetings, provides updates to the group and supports special events such as crafting together online during the holidays.  

When the pandemic ends, she’d like to further support Hospice by possibly becoming a Grief Companion.

While Hospice Peterborough thanks her and all volunteers for their vital support, Gisele says she is the one who is thankful. “I feel so fortunate,” she says, “to be a part of an organization that offers such a caring and supportive environment.”

We are looking for Client Support Volunteers to join our team!

We are excited to announce dates for the mandatory 30 hours volunteer training, running 10 weeks in the evening starting April 12th. This training will take place in-person.
Information/orientation sessions will take March 22nd at 6:30pm via Zoom and March 29th at 6:30 in-person. Please register for one of these sessions by calling Carolyn at 705-742-4042 or emailing cparkes@hospicepeterborough.org.

We are so thrilled to be able to welcome new volunteers!

Chrystine Somerville shares her experience of the women’s support group and says the Hospice Peterborough program has been a ‘godsend’

After being diagnosed with cancer and moving with her husband to Young’s Point for retirement, Chrystine Somerville knew very few people, didn’t know the area and had little knowledge about what local health supports were available, especially in the middle of a pandemic.

When she heard that Hospice Peterborough was offering a virtual women’s support group, for those with a terminal illness, she decided to give it a try and says she knew from the very first minute of the meeting that she had found “the right place to be.”

“This group has been a godsend,” says the 56-year-old. “The support, the laughter, the suggestions, the encouragement, the camaraderie, the understanding, the heartfelt empathy and so on that is the makeup of our group, is a lifeline in a sometimes confusing, often raging storm called cancer. I am beyond grateful for having been accepted into this group and supported by these wonderful women.”

Known as Day Hospice, this program offers a professional facilitator to guide women’s and men’s groups through the journey of living with a terminal diagnosis. It is often a lifeline for participants by offering support, advocacy and healthcare navigation services during what can be the participants’ most difficult stage of life. The group often opens with a guided meditation and then offers the chance to share updates, ask for advice or simply sit and listen. Participants often brainstorm about how others manage their illness, medication, family issues, physical and emotional pain and COVID-19, all while supporting each other.

Clients learn from each other, support each other and also learn new and practical methods of coping with their illness including self-care, dietary needs and managing anxiety.

For the past nine years, Kawartha Credit Union has generously funded Day Hospice and, like all of Hospice’s programs and services, there is never a fee for participants to join.

Before COVID-19, the groups used to meet in person once per week, followed by a shared lunch. As of March 2020, however, Hospice Peterborough immediately pivoted to a Zoom platform – never missing a weekly session – to continue supporting clients at a time when traditional support from family and friends has been severely limited.

For people like Chrystine, that means that throughout an unprecedented time of isolation and social distancing, she has made friends, felt supported and learned more about her medical condition, all without ever setting foot in the Hospice Peterborough building.

“I’d still like to get in there one day!” she says with a laugh.

Chrystine says the most important thing to know is that the groups are far from “doom and gloom.” While all participants understand the realities of each other’s conditions and often lean on each other in times of sadness, she says the energy is one of “loving and caring” with room for laughter, jokes, hopeful stories, family news and, perhaps most importantly, unconditional support with no judgement.

As COVID-19 restrictions ease, she and other participants have been able to safely meet outside of the group for lunch and small social gatherings.

“Having said that, it’s not a coffee club,” Chrystine adds. “We are all dealing with a terminal illness and it’s very comforting to be able to be there for one another unconditionally.”

Chrystine says she’s thankful for the program, which can also direct participants to other Hospice programs and services such as a supportive care counsellor. She’s also overwhelmed that this service has no fee, thanks to generous community donations from businesses such as the Kawartha Credit Union as well as individuals.

“I am just so grateful,” she says. “Hospice Peterborough is on my gratitude list every day.”

Based on new instructions from Peterborough Public Health, Hospice Peterborough is immediately instituting new COVID-19 protocols to keep our clients, families, staff and volunteers safe.

All non-essential staff will return to working remotely. Group bereavement and palliative programs will continue but will be held virtually. The palliative care community team will continue to see people either in person or via phone sessions, at their discretion.  

Our residence will continue to function at 10-bed capacity but this could change at any time. Visitors will be limited to 2 or 3 at a time. Sadly, family gatherings in the building can not happen until Peterborough Public Health lifts current guidelines.

Likewise, our committed volunteers will be asked to take a break from duties at our London Street location until it’s safe to resume and staff will assume reception responsibilities. Their help and presence will be greatly missed and we hope to have volunteers back working with us soon.

Everyone entering the building will continue to be required to wear a fresh medical-grade mask, provided by Hospice Peterborough, and show proof of a second vaccine dose. For those unvaccinated, Hospice Peterborough requires an on-site rapid-antigen test. Further protocols may be announced in coming days. 

Hospice Peterborough continues to monitor all new and emerging pandemic information daily while our Outbreak Management Team continues to meet weekly to respond to Ministry of Health and our local health unit directives.

Rest assured that, despite the twists and turns, our focus will always be providing our important programs and services to individuals and families coping with life-limiting illness and grief.

Thank you to our community for the incredible patience and support you have shown us throughout this challenging time.

Stay safe everyone.

Hospice Peterborough is now officially accredited through Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) with a near-perfect score. The accreditation, with a 98.67% score, offers a ‘stamp of approval’ signifying to clients, health professionals, community members and funders that it meets the highest standards for the delivery of consistent, quality service and care and is committed to continual learning and improvement.

“It is with much pride that I sincerely thank our incredible team of staff, board members and volunteers who have all worked so hard – on top of day-to-day duties – to make our dream of accreditation a reality,” says Hospice Peterborough executive director Hajni Hős. “We have demonstrated to healthcare peers that we consistently deliver outstanding care to the community with professionalism and compassion.”

The process involved a vigorous and comprehensive 18-month review of the residence, community programs, services and professional standards including everything from fiscal responsibility to resident safety to professional development for staff. Out of 134 hospice sites across the province, 35 currently hold HPCO accreditation.

Past executive director Linda Sunderland started the accreditation process, before the new building and residence were built on London Street, to ensure all operations were in line with industry standards and best practices.

The process also reviewed aspects such as governance, quality assurance, client care, fundraising and volunteer management. HPCO reviewed, for example, how Hospice Peterborough develops care plans for residents as well as emergency-response plans, volunteer safety and whether the organization is publicly transparent with fundraised dollars.

“Best practices are always evolving and we will never stop looking to learn and improve as an organization and a team,” Hős adds .

Accreditation requires ongoing compliance, with regular interim reports, and must be renewed every three years.

*Please call Hospice Peterborough 705-742-4042 for most up to date information*

As the pandemic progresses, Hospice Peterborough continues to monitor new and emerging information daily while our Outbreak Management Team continues to meet weekly to respond, as needed, in order to keep our residents, volunteers, staff and community safe.

We are once again functioning at 10-bed capacity while following all required Peterborough Public Health directives and provincial guidelines.  

As it now stands, anyone entering the building is required to wear a medical-grade mask and show proof of a second vaccine dose. For those unvaccinated, Hospice Peterborough requires an on-site rapid-antigen test.

Community staff have resumed working in the building although some continue to work part-time from home, depending on their roles, and many meetings continue to be held over Zoom.

Many programs continue in a virtual setting, although some groups are meeting in-person with proper safety precautions in place and heightened disinfection.

The Palliative Care Community Team continues with online and phone meetings with the possibility of some in-person sessions taking place in the Hospice building.

We are thrilled to have many volunteers back in the building to lend their time, hearts and expertise to our care.

We are aware that all this could change at a moment’s notice based on new variants, increased local cases or changing directives from the province.

But for now, with help from our community, we are focused on doing what we have done since the start of this pandemic: Providing our important programs and services to individuals and families devastated by death, terminal illness and grief.

Thank you to our community for the incredible patience and support you have shown us throughout this challenging time.

We are so grateful.

After losing both parents, days apart, the Lockyer family shares story of how Hospice supported their family and aims to ensure supports continue to be available to all

Our parents shared a great love story – one that lasted more than half a century and ended with each of them dying of a broken heart.

Many of you might know our father Wayne Lockyer – he co-owned and operated Lockyers’ Garden Centre and was a local minor hockey coach – and our mother Susan Lockyer who worked for many years at the Mapleridge Shoppers Drug Mart and was well-known for her kind soul and spectacular smile.

They were happily married for 52 years and they loved, played and worked with passion all while raising us three children.

It was devastating when Mom was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in her 70s but she maintained a positive attitude as she prepared for surgery.

It wasn’t long, however, before we received the gut-wrenching news that Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer and only had a couple of months to live. Mom postponed her surgery to be by his side when he was admitted to the wonderful care of Hospice Peterborough.

In this season of giving, we ask that you please join us today by making your own donation.

Let’s make sure Hospice Peterborough’s expertise, compassion and care are there for all local families when they need it most.

All the best to you and yours,

Rich Sherri Kim

‘A safe place to ask questions, share stories and learn from each other’

Indigenous community health partners, frontline workers and family members still have an opportunity to join two final sessions of a free palliative-care speaker series that will focus on ‘Medication – To Give or Not to Give?’ (March 31) and ‘Health-Care Consent and Advanced Care Planning’ (April 16).

The speaker series, facilitated by the Central East Regional Cancer Program’s (CE RCP) Indigenous Cancer, has been ongoing since February and was created in partnership with the Central East First Nation partners.  

“The speakers will cover important topics in palliative care to help provide emotional, mental, spiritual and physical support to those from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities living with life-limiting illnesses,” says Janice Kelly, CE RCP Indigenous Outreach Liaison. “Our previous sessions have drawn participants from a wide range of communities and have been a safe place to ask questions, share stories and learn from each other.”

Patti Stanton, Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultant through Hospice Peterborough, will be leading both final sessions.

In ‘Medication – To Give or Not to Give,’ the session will include learning the purpose of medications at end of life, acknowledging traditional medicines and how to best store/handle medication. This session will support caregiver and families with personal palliative-care toolkits.

In ‘Health Care Consent and Advanced Care Planning,’ the focus will be on issues such as advance planning about who will be your decision maker if you become unable to speak for yourself and why it’s important to write down the location of important documents such as passports, deeds, tax returns and insurance policies.

“Hospice Peterborough is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Central East Regional Cancer Program for this important speaker series,” says Ms. Stanton. “I look forward to conversations and storytelling about these issues, which can sometimes be difficult to talk about, but are critical to discuss before something unexpected happens.”

Pre-registration for both upcoming sessions is not required. The March 31 session runs from Noon to 1:30 p.m. while the April 16 session runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Please email Janice Kelly at jakelly@lh.ca to access the meeting link or for more information.