Linda Corriveau RPN is the Resource Centre manager of Serenity House Hospice (SHH).

Serenity House Hospice Inc. is a compassionate, charitable organization whose vision is to empower individuals facing a life threatening illness and provide support to caregivers in Elgin County.

Linda and volunteer staff work at the Resource Centre at 20 Flora St, Lower, St Thomas. They raise community awareness, provide education, and staff the library at resource center. SHH is a member of the Elgin County Palliative Care Committee and Hospice Association of Ontario. The centre advocates for pain control, emotional, spiritual and psychosocial support of those with life threatening illness. Also provided are a ‘quiet room’ for discussion, bereavement support, grief support, individual and group support, complimentary therapies, and quarterly Pamper Days for Caregivers. Linda has the support of 4 local physicians.

Linda also spearheads program development and co-chairs the residential hospice planning committee. 6 videos have been made to train new staff. Linda also has a video showing how a palliative client received help from her coworkers and neighbours to stay at home. SHH makes it easier to get help and answer questions about care. The goal is to prevent caregiver exhaustion and help families to cope. This all without staff or volunteer visits to homes (insurance implications). 90 % of those near end of life wish to die at home.

The reality is that 70% of people currently die in the hospital. Physicians are reluctant to do home visits. We are facing a “health care time bomb”. My research shows there were 600,000 more Canadians between the age of 70 and older, between 2014-2018. (Stats Canada and my calculations). By 2040 there will be 3X as many people over 65. (Alberta’s aging population is a fiscal time bomb-27Sept18 CBC news).

 

To make these statistics easier for us to work through, in about 1 ½ years the SHH plans to build a residential hospice using current hospice standards and with a home like setting. Estimated costs are 7-8 million dollars. When the residential hospice is up and running with the 6 beds approved for our region, the Ministry of Health will fund $105,000 per bed per year to maintain the facility.  This amounts to a 60% / 40% split between government resources and community fundraising.

SHH uses a multi-disciplinary team of trained, compassionate experts and volunteers. To that end, when SHH began Linda and friend and RN Ms Gillespie, recruited board members, made many road trips to existing residential hospices, completed program research, surveyed physicians, and scanned the community. SHH has been involved with the Trillium Foundation and the United Way. SHH collaborates with St Joseph’s Health Centre which runs two hospice locations in London. The Rotary Club of Stratford sponsors their county hospice.

Share The Care™ (STC) is a caregiving model that helps people pool their talents, time and resources to assist a friend or loved one facing significant health challenges. People who live alone (far from or without family) are especially in need of support when a health crisis hits. The model was introduced in the South West region of Ontario in the summer of 2009 when a campaign was launched with support from the South West Local Health Integration Network (SW LHIN). (Taken from Linda’s Power Point presentation.)

Our own Barbara Warnock has consorted with Las Chicas, Streamliners Café, and “Sew and Sews” sewing group in Aylmer to recycle the burlap coffee bags into trendy tote bags. Stay tuned for availability.

Ron bagged it! Ron also filled in for the Fine Master job. Rotary started like a fraternity that helped the community; the first project was a public washroom in Chicago. Later, it became a service club worldwide.

Bill 2 great grandson had a birthday; police and other public servants working in cold weather

Gerry 2 for speaker and niece has been married

Ron 3 for speaker; he was given by his family, a trip to Africa, accompanying two of his sons; for support he received from Microsoft for his computer problem

Barb 1 for family member who had 29 birthday

Trish 2 for speaker and Stewart’s birthday

Malcolm 1 Jeff Yurek is championing for a hospice

Look for details re next week (Club Assembly followed by board meeting). In two weeks we meet at Noah’s Ark restaurant Aylmer and thence to the Little Theatre.