What’s Going On at Huron

Shores Hospice? by Cheryl Cottrill,

Chair of Huron Shores Hospice

Well, the short answer is a lot. After a very successful Handbags for Hospice event in September, we reached our Phase I fundraising goal of $310,000 allowing us to move forward to open the door for our one-bed residential suite at Tiverton Park Manor. As Nelson Mandala said, “it always seems impossible until it’s done.” We knew from the start it was a lot to ask, but we also knew we lived in a very caring and generous community and you accomplished what others thought impossible. Thank you for stepping up in a big way and helping us raise this significant amount of money! We could not have done this without you.

As our board’s focus has

been primarily on information gathering and fundraising for a long time, we now are excited to move towards governing and operating the hospice. We are busy getting our policies and procedures in place, enhancing and growing our current board, recruiting and training volunteers, hiring a coordinator, as well as getting the furnishings, decor and equipment in place. Once we take possession of the rooms at Tiverton Park Manor, the Carpenter’s Union has very generously offered their time to do some small renovations to make the rooms as homey as possible. We are working tirelessly to ensure when we open our doors, we are in a position to offer high quality end-of-life care to the residents of south Bruce. We have set a goal to be open in the first quarter of 2018. In the meantime, we are launching Phase II of fundraising with a Christmas campaign. The primary goal is to add a second suite and our Phase II goal is $255,000. We believed, from the beginning, one bed would never be enough to look after the entire population of south Bruce County, so we will continue our fundraising efforts in order to add a second suite to better serve our community. Check out more about our Christmas campaign on the last page.

We are expanding our Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining our dedicated team of volunteers, we are looking for talents in human resources, legal, nursing, social work, technology, strategic planning, and community development, as well as passionate community advocates who want to see the hospice offer high quality care to those dying in our community. Board membership will require a monthly commitment of approximately 12-15 hours in meetings and committee work, and we are asking for a 2-year commitment. Resumes should be submitted by December 15, 2017 to info@huronshoreshospice.ca.

If you’d like to volunteer, but board work is not your thing, we are looking for volunteers for our fundraising team as well as for our finance and governance committees. We also need compassionate community members to provide support to our residents and their families while in our care. If you are interested in a volunteer or committee position, please send an email to info@huronshoreshospice.ca by December 15, 2017, telling us what position you are interested in. We will help you explore possibilities.We would love to have your experience, passion and expertise around our board and committee tables and in the important fundraising and patient support roles.

We are growing…

Winter 2017 Newsletter

Huron Shores Hospice Winter 2017 Newsletter

Dr. Damian Gunaratne Medical Director, Huron Shores Hospice

“It’s important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go.” Yann Martel, Life of Pi

I consider it a great honour to care for patients and their families at the end of life. It gives me great satisfaction to help a patient die a dignified death with minimal suffering, according to their wishes. Often death can be very taxing on patients and their families. It is likely the most difficult period of time in anyone’s life. Many important decisions need to be made and it is often difficult to make these decisions when there are so many emotions being felt. Often patients can become too sick or injured during this stage and are unable to make these decisions for themselves. This is what makes an advanced care plan so important.

An advanced care plan (also referred to as an ACP) is simply a plan you make in advance for your care at the end of your life. It can include a multitude of different considerations including: funeral arrangements, your cultural or traditional practices, your religious beliefs,

your desired healthcare decisions and who your substitute decision-maker would be. Your ACP should begin with you and your family and friends. It’s a conversation you should have with them long before you have a health crisis. This may be difficult to speak about initially but your loved ones may also feel some relief to know exactly what you would like at the end of your life. Another important person to discuss your ACP with is your family doctor. Your family doctor can give you accurate information about your health conditions and can answer any questions about medical interventions you may have.

If this article does anything for you, I hope it encourages you to seek more information regarding an ACP. An excellent resource is the website advancecareplanning.ca where you can explore questions about ACPs. There are also forms for documenting your wishes and naming your substitute decision-maker.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

Do You Have an Advanced Care Directive? Should You?

A story of the true spirit of giving just in time for Christmas! The evening’s generosity didn’t stop at the end of Handbags for Hospice event!

With every event there is often a heart-warming story that surfaces, especially when you have so many caring people in one room. After our event, we got word one of our successful

live auction bidders of a beautiful handbag anonymously donated the handbag to her rival bidder, who just happened to be a nurse at the Hawthorne Family Clinic. Apparently, she left the message

that the nurse deserved the handbag, and she wanted her to have it. What a beautiful gesture and just another example of the caring and compassionate people who live in our community.

Next year’s Handbags for Hospice event will be held on Thursday, September 20, 2018. Look for another

dazzling evening of canapes and cocktails, fun and fun-draising featuring a live and silent auction with well-known designer handbags and experiences.

Our Hike for Hospice will take place at the Davidson Centre, Kincardine on Saturday, May 12, 2018.

For more details on both events, please check our website and watch our Facebook page.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

New Core Fundamentals Of Hospice Palliative Care Course Being Offered

Christmas

Wish ListMany people have been asking how they can help us with the opening of our

first residential hospice suite. We have created a Christmas Wish List of items still needed for the suite and are asking for new items only please.

Queen Sheets - high thread count x 2

Extra-long single sheets - good thread count Dark colour x 3

MP3/iPod with player for music in the room

iTunes card - to purchase music

2 DVDs for patient room and family room

Toaster

Keurig or Tassimo coffee maker

Coffee and tea pods for the coffee maker

Towel sets x 2 for each room

Gaming system for children’s play area

Child size table and chairs

Child size bean bags x 2

Finchers or Chapters gift card to purchase books and DVDS on death and bereavement

Over the bed table for the patient room

2 small night tables for the family room with drawers to store a small amount of clothing

Draperies and remote controlled blinds

Flooring tiles

Paint

Trim

Fittings and fixtures

If you would like to donate any items, please contact Cheryl Cottrill at 519-368-7762, so we can check items off our Christmas list and don’t duplicate donations. Thank you in advance for your generosity to help make our hospice a reality!

KINCARDINE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPThe VON will facilitate a Bereavement Support Group offering grief support in Kincardine in the New Year. Please watch for details on our website at www.huronshoreshospice.ca.

In an effort to ensure all of our volunteers feel knowledgeable and prepared to assist in a hospice environment, we require all interested volunteers complete the Core Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care, offered through funding from St. Joseph’s Health Care London. A new set of courses is being offered Tuesday Feb. 6th, Feb. 27th and Mar. 20th 2018, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Tiverton, and another course may be offered in the spring, dependant on interest. If you want to sign up for the three-class course this semester, go to our website www.huronshoreshospice.ca/news.php or directly to www.palliativecareswo.ca/apps/learning_initiatives_fundamentals.html

Huron Shores Hospice Winter 2017 Newsletter

Our Christmas Campaign is a great opportunity for you to get something different for those ‘hard to buy for’ family and friends! Instead of purchasing something your loved one will store away in a closet, give them a meaningful gift this Christmas, one that truly has the power to change someone’s life and make their journey to end-of-life more dignified and supported. Consider contributing to our Phase II Hearts for Hospice campaign with a monetary donation in a loved one’s name or donate to kick off our Phase II fundraising efforts. Your help will bring a second residential hospice bed to our community. Donations can be sent to Huron Shores Hospice, Box 262, Tiverton, ON N0G 2T0 along with the removable portion below. or go to www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/huron-shores-hospice/We will send a Christmas card to the person you are gifting, explaining that this year you are giving the gift of compassion and caring by donating to our local hospice. We are grateful for all donations, no matter how large or small. Donations over $20 will receive a tax receipt.

HURON SHORES HOSPICE - CHRISTMAS 2017 CAMPAIGN (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)

Name of donor: _____________________________________________ Email Address: _______________________________

Address of donor: ________________________________________________________

I am enclosing a cheque for $____________.

If your donation is a gift or a memorial, please provide the following information: Donation Only

Donation in memory of: _____________________________________ OR Gift for: _____________________________________

Address of person receiving the gift: ___________________________________________________________________________

A Christmas card will be sent out to the person you are gifting your donation to with the following message:“____________ thinks a lot of you and made a donation to Huron Shores Hospice in your honour. You must be a very special and caring

person to be receiving this meaningful gift of compassion and caring. It truly has the power to change someone’s life and make their

end-of-life journey more dignified, supporting their family and friends along the way. Merry Christmas!”

I would prefer to remain anonymous for my gift. (Message above replaced with “Someone thinks a lot of you...”)

I would like a charitable receipt

Please email my charitable receipt

Christmas Campaign

CRA# 75168 9092 RR0001

www.huronshorehospice.ca /HuronShoresHospice /HSHospice

A couple of our very generous Donations