Powell River Hospice Society has committed to raising a significant amount of money for its existing program costs and future facility plans.
The society will hold its annual Hike for Hospice fundraising event from 12:30-4 pm on Sunday, May 7, at Willingdon Beach. Funds raised will go toward hiring a new volunteer program coordinator and building a new hospice centre.
The society is committed to fundraise for a new, four-bed hospice facility, said fundraising committee chair Doe Fraser. According to Fraser, the society was approached one year ago by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to work collaboratively on developing a plan for building a hospice on the hospital grounds. A $400,000 grant was awarded by BC Centre for Palliative Care through BC Ministry of Health for seed capital.
“VCH said they would provide the operating costs, which is huge,” said Fraser. “It’s $800,000 or $1 million a year just to run it, and they said they would do it.”
Fraser added that the society is ready to create a conceptual drawing of what the facility might look like and needs to raise $2,000 to $3,000 for the design plans.
“We’ve generated enough conversation to say we think this is a doable project,” said Fraser.
The hospice society took on its first client in December 2015 and has seen demand for its services continue to rise ever since, said Fraser.
“2016 was a busy year,” she said. “I’m sure the numbers for 2017 will be much higher.”
Fraser, a retired nurse who spent 13 years working in palliative care, said the increasing number of people who require help is proof that more support is needed in the region.
The hospice society has 40 trained volunteers who assist clients in Powell River General Hospital and at residential care or private homes. Volunteers also offer grief counselling.
“It takes someone who has some empathy,” said Fraser. “You have to have a willingness and an ability to work in an end-of-life environment.”
Most pressing for the society’s fundraising initiative is to fill the position of volunteer-program coordinator, a role with responsibilities that include training and managing services such as intake, making client assessments and matching volunteers with clients.
“The coordinator has to have personal skills and be able to interact with families and patients when they’re at an extremely vulnerable time in their lives,” said program director Sandy McCartie.
The number of people inquiring about and requiring the society’s services underscores a serious need for hospice and palliative care as Powell River’s largest demographic, 55 and over, ages.
“There’s a gap between where the doctor’s medical care ends and the dying happens,” said Fraser. “They’re encouraging you to die at home but they give you no help. How do you do that?”
McCartie said one thing can make a difference: evening and weekend home and community-care nursing, which will allow people to stay in their homes, have symptoms managed quickly and relieve pressure on the hospital system.
“It would prevent the solution being to call the ambulance and have people admitted through emergency to get their symptoms managed,” she added.
Palliative means comfort but, according to McCartie, when people hear the word “hospice” or “palliative,” they think they are going to die tomorrow.
“There needs to be a lot more awareness among family physicians about the benefits of early palliative care and of hospice referral,” said McCartie.
Doctor Bruce Hobson, physician lead of Powell River Division of Family Practice, said he is in full agreement and that his organization has continuously advocated for education and resources that will improve palliative care in the area.
“Awareness is key,” said Hobson, “and we continue to work with our members to increase knowledge about benefits of early palliative care and hospice referral.”
For more information about Powell River Hospice Society and Hike for Hospice, go to prhospice.org.
