Support

Comfort, Compassion, Care – The Hospice Experience

The hospice experience is one that attempts to meet the many needs that confront palliative care patients and their families as they face the challenges of life-threatening illnesses together. Some of these needs are very tangible and some are simply delivered from the heart. The Hospice Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton County is guided by the needs of patients as well as the needs that are shared with us by the dedicated palliative care physicians, nurses and social workers who comprise the team that ensures the delivery of palliative care treatment and services.

An Cala Palliative Care Unit

The An Cala Palliative Care Unit is a nine bed acute care unit located on the fourth floor of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. The name An Cala was chosen as it means ‘The Harbour’ in Gaelic and the unit has a wonderful view of Sydney Harbour.  It is, most importantly, a safe haven and a place of comfort.  

The Society is dedicated to providing all of the comfort and care items for patients and their families on the unit over and above what is provided by the hospital. The Society supports the volunteers who make a significant contribution to An Cala through their presence and commitment to floral arrangements, seasonal decorations and celebrations.  The Society also maintains the family room, populates the shelves with books and assures the unit maintains an uplifting atmosphere of tranquility.   

Home Support Program

The Society provides home healthcare equipment (equipment that is not available through the Red Cross) free of charge when it is deemed necessary by a palliative care physician or nurse.  The Society supports a broad based financial assistance fund that is administered through the palliative care social worker and, in exceptional circumstances, 24 hour nursing care at home when requested by a physician.                    

Volunteer Program

Service provided by hospice palliative care volunteers is offered to patients who are living at home, in the hospital or in nursing homes.  Our trained volunteers provide additional warmth and caring to patients, communicating on a personal level in a comfortable and relaxed fashion.  They maintain confidentiality and understand the importance of patient privacy.  They provide companionship and offer short respite for the family or caregiver.  The service has about 80 volunteer, both male and female.

Home volunteers commit 3-4 hours once or twice a week to provide the caregiver time needed to do necessary errands or to have some personal time to participate in an activity that renews their energy. 

Families interested in the volunteer program can request the service by contacting the Coordinator or through any member of the Palliative Care Team.  Once the request is made, the Coordinator will contact the patient or family member to discuss their needs. The selection of a volunteer is conducted by considering interests and personalities. When a volunteer is assigned, they generally continue with the same person as long as the patient and/or family feels they are needed.  For more information contact the Volunteer Coordinator at 567-8160.

Alternative Therapies

Currently, the Society funds a part-time music therapist; an experience that has positively impacted patients providing them with a creative outlet for expression.  Music therapy benefits palliative care patients by helping to improve the quality of life for the patient. The Canadian Association for Music Therapy describes it as “the skillful use of music and musical elements by an accredited music therapist to promote, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.”

Specifically, music therapy helps to

• alleviate fears and anxieties;
• reinforce identity and decreases feelings of isolation;
• foster communication;
• promote emotional express;
• decrease perception of pain; and
• aid in the life review process.

Each patient’s need for the program and their use of it is unique and customized to support them. This is also offered as an in home service upon request. There are plans to make other alternative therapies available to patients when needed and determined by palliative care staff.

Education

The Society funds on-going education for palliative care staff, volunteers and board members.  This is administered through an Education Committee that meets regularly.  The Society allocates funds for representatives to attend all appropriate Canadian palliative care conferences and workshops.  The Society also brings in guest speakers to support the palliative care program and organizes workshops.  Palliative Care literature is available at the An Cala Unit for patients and families.  Past guest speakers have included noted Canadian author and noted hospice advocate June Callwood.

Past Speakers

Bereavement Program

The Bereavement Program is available to families and friends of palliative care patients as a support service following the death of a loved one.  Bereavement volunteers will maintain a relationship with the patients’ next of kin for a year following a patients’ death, to help the family deal with grief when necessary. 

A Service of Remembrance is held twice a year to celebrate the life of loved ones who have passed within the six month period.  These are held on the first Monday of June and November and families and caregivers are invited to attend.  It is a touching and personal time shared by those who have come through a similar experience. It is an evening for families, friends, staff and volunteers to re-connect with the many people who participated in the journey of those loved ones that have passed. The Hospice Palliative Care Society guides and supports this special program, as well as education for bereavement volunteers.

Financial Assistance Fund
The Society also provides a financial assistance fund, administered by the Social Work Department, to help alleviate some of the financial burden that occurs in caring for a loved one at home.  It is well-known that the cost of medications at home can be quite expensive and under certain circumstances can become an overwhelming concern for palliative care patients and their families. This fund is designed to relieve that additional pressure during an already trying time. It is also used to help in many other ways as well.

 In the past, the Society has used this fund to

• celebrate weddings and graduations on the unit;
• purchase a washer and dryer so that a Mom could stay at home with her children;
• provide movies and takeout meals for family nights,
• bring family home from "away",
• purchase computers for the unit;
• purchase bed linens to make a patient more comfortable; and
• pay rent so a patient could remain at.

It is about quality of life and the needs are as unique as the patients. The funds exist to make a difference when and where it counts and monies can be made available within 24 hours following a request from someone on the health care team.