One of the many challenges COVID-19 presents is that traditional comforts we offer when someone is grieving are unavailable to us; a hug, a comforting touch, or holding hands is not possible. So how can you offer comfort to someone who is grieving? This document offers from ideas – Supporting those grieving during COVID-19.
Guided by the expert advice being provided by local, provincial, and national public health authorities Hospice Peterborough will continue to monitor and assess next steps and precautions in the coming days and weeks.
Effective immediately until further notice:
Hospice Peterborough remains committed to its mission in supporting individuals and families at end of life, through life-threatening illness and grief. We will monitor and adapt as the COVID 19 outbreak evolves. Please check our website for updated information.
We appreciate your patience and understanding, and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sincerely,
Hajni Hos, Executive Director
We would like to inform you of Hospice Peterborough’s plans to respond to the risks associated with COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
We have developed a 4-level response plan that takes into account escalating risks and contingency precautions to limit the infection of this virus. At all times, we are being guided by the expert advice being provided by local, provincial, and national public health authorities and Hospice Palliative Care Ontario and will continue to monitor and assess next steps and precautions in the coming days and weeks.
The health and safety of clients, residents, family members, volunteers, staff, partners, and community members is our top priority. We are committed to support efforts to minimize the spread of the virus through increased screening and limiting person to person contact especially around people with already complex medical conditions.
Naturally, we appreciate the implications and concerns this places on all aspects of our organization and our stakeholders.
Effective immediately until further notice:
Please follow the guidelines and precautions outline by the Peterborough Public Health Unit (705-743-1000 x 401) or Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000) for more information/direction.
Hospice Peterborough remains committed to its mission in supporting individuals and families at end of life, through life-threatening illness and grief. We will monitor and adapt as the COVID-19 outbreak evolves. Please check our website for updated information.
We appreciate your patience and understanding, and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sincerely,
Hajni Hos, Executive Director
New Year’s is often a time for reflection on the past year of chaos and a determination that this year will be different. The realization that this determination hasn’t been all that effective in keeping the chaos at bay brings a new sense of realism into the thoughts for 2020. Perhaps it is the shocking reality that the calendar has more bookings of medical appointments than social ones that allows the thoughts to head in the direction of life and death. More influential however, is that in my day to day work at Hospice I am confronted with life and death issues. John Lennon said, “life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”, and we rarely are prepared for the questions of life and death that we will need to face at some point. At the risk of being accused of morbidity, let me introduce some interesting family discussion at the beginning of this year that may cause some interesting and provocative thinking around this topic.
http://www.engagewithgrace.org/ is a website dedicated to engaging society in some of the most significant discussion we can have. The members are commitment to asking 5 questions around end of life issues that need to be asked and answered by family members. Here they are. Take the time to explore with your family. It may be some of the most important New Year discussion you will have.
1. On a scale of 1 to 5, where do you fall on this continuum?
2. If there were a choice, would you prefer to die at home, or in a hospital?
3. Could a loved one correctly describe how you would like to be treated in the case of a terminal illness?
4. Is there someone you trust whom you’ve appointed to advocate on your behalf when the time is near?
5. Have you completed any of the following: written a living will, appointed a healthcare power of attorney, or completed an advanced directive?
Our discomfort with talking around end of life issues only makes this time more difficult when it comes. What if braving this conversation now allows us to understand one another’s wishes so that we can be sure that decisions made later will be the best ones? Besides we may learn things about one another in the discussion.
