Hospice Palliative Care
When you or a loved one is diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness your world turns upside down. Everything has changed. Perhaps the diagnosis is recent or maybe you or your loved one has been living with an illness for some time.
Burnaby Hospice Society is here to help. Our staff and trained volunteers provide and facilitate access to compassionate end-of-life care, offering support options, honouring choices and supporting families and friends.
We encourage you to have a look at our programs and services, give us a call, email us, or simply drop in. You are not alone.
Volunteer Visits
Burnaby Hospice Society volunteers provide emotional support and practical help to people who are facing a life threatening illness and respite support for those caring for them. Our trained volunteers are flexible, caring people who have chosen to be visitors because they are genuinely interested in helping patients and their families.
Visiting volunteers are available mornings, afternoons and evenings at the Palliative Care Unit in Burnaby Hospital and at St. Michael’s Hospice Centre.
Some areas of volunteer support may include, but are not limited to:
• Talking, listening, reading and playing games
• Assistance with letter writing or other small errands
• Traditional tea service
• Spiritual support
• Respite for family members or other caregivers
In-home Volunteer Support
In-home volunteer support plays an important role in end-of-life care, especially for people who are isolated in our community. Not everyone has access to the support of family and friends. Our volunteers offer emotional and practical support through conversation, companionship, assistance with small errands, and other activities.
Visiting in-home volunteers are available to support individual patients and/or the patient’s family, whether it is at home, retirement residences or long-term care facilities.
Caregiver Support
Burnaby Hospice Society recognizes the important responsibility it is to be a caregiver for a loved one who has a life-threatening illness – it is a 24-hour a day undertaking. Although the patient may be fairly independent, caregivers offer a range of support, from physical to personal care, emotional and social support, meal planning and transportation. They also may have responsibility for the challenging task of coordinating interactions with medical professionals and other agencies supporting the ill person.
We provide resources for caregivers and referrals to support groups. Our volunteers are available to family members who need a break from the bedside of the loved one during the dying process. Volunteers also provide a compassionate listening ear to help caregivers find comfort and support.
Sitting Vigils
Vigil volunteers provide the support and physical presence that patients and families may need during a loved one’s final moments of life. To meet the needs and desires of dying patients and their loved ones, the vigil process may include any or all of the following:
• being a calm presence
• sitting together
• talking and listening
• shared silence
• healing touch
• reading of inspirational or spiritual text
• requested rituals
• inspirational music
• lighting candles
Vigil volunteers may come in hours or days before death. If the vigil is long, volunteers may take shifts if the patient or family wants someone there continuously. If the vigil is fairly short, the same volunteer may stay for the duration.
Complementary Therapies
Trained Burnaby Hospice Society volunteers offer a variety of relaxation therapies such as reiki, therapeutic touch and massage, which can help ease pain, reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Pet Therapy
Pet therapy volunteers are available by appointment. Pet therapy has been shown to increase pain tolerance, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and bring smiles to patient’s faces. It can be especially useful for patients who may have withdrawn from the people around them but find interacting with an animal easier and less painful.
Life Review
Life review is an important part of bringing one’s life to a close. As life ends, we want to know that we have truly been seen by someone in this world, and that our life has had value and meaning. Patients and families can access, by appointment, the services of a volunteer trained in life review techniques to help them tell their life stories.
For more information on our services or to request support, please contact us 604.520.5087 or email us.
All our services are provided without charge. Your donations are welcomed to help us fund and expand our programs.