The Cochrane and Area Hospice Society is looking ahead to a busy year of bringing more volunteers on board and ramping up fundraising.
Following a meeting last week, society board chair Linda Derkach is feeling positive about partnerships between the non-profit and Alberta Health Services (AHS) to provide improved supports and solutions for home palliative care, to keep people in the comfort of their homes as long as possible.
“Last week was very successful. We had the Rural Palliative Care Team for Cochrane and area as our guest speakers .... it was very well received. It’s obvious people need to know more,” explained Derkach.
She clarified that the society is not looking to fundraise for a stand-alone hospice facility but, based on early conversations with AHS, there is the possibility of dedicated hospice beds at existing stakeholder facilities.
A separate facility is viewed as non-viable and potentially costly. Rather, supports and community volunteerism to assist palliative teams to keep people at home is viewed as more suitable options for Cochrane and the surrounding rural area.
The society is also looking to bring in palliative home care training, so caregivers no longer need to travel to Calgary to receive it.
Board secretary Sandra Scott said now is the time to get on board and to take full advantage of the province’s willingness to work with rural community groups to develop “out of the box solutions” to improve the lives for those in palliative care and their families.
“We actually timed this kind of perfect because I think AHS is kind of primed to help the rural societies throughout the province,” said Scott, an active community volunteer who was beside both of her grandfathers at the end of their lives – with “night and day” experiences of one being in hospital care and the other in the comfort of his own home.
For Scott, healthy living is “getting community involved and having a good group of volunteers to help people at this stage of life” and to remove the stigma surrounding palliative care, end of life care.
Derkach, who has an extensive background with the palliative home care team out of Calgary and as a director of rural palliative home care services for the Central Alberta region, said the opportunities to give back to the community is what has prompted her to get involved.
The annual general meeting for the society will be held March 14 at Cochrane Family and Community Support Services at 7 p.m. They are looking to host a fundraiser this spring, as well.
The society is a member of the Alberta Hospice and Palliative Care Association and are awaiting their charitable status.
Visit Cochrane Hospice Society on Facebook to learn about monthly meetings and guest speakers.
