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Thank you, Nancy!
Nancy Deschênes, shown at right, has completed her term as Past Chair. As someone who was used to keeping busy, Nancy set to work to find ways to contribute to her new community when she moved to the area in 2009. Nancy obtained her training as a Registered Nurse in Sudbury. Her career took her in many interesting directions — she was a Canadian Certified Occupational Health Nurse, an Infection Control Practitioner and an Employee Assistance Councillor, and also worked in mental health and palliative care.
She initially joined the Board as a Director, and soon stepped into the role of Vice Chair. It was during her two-year term as Chair that the organization changed its name. Nancy brought her many years of experience and her gentle manner and humour to her work with HHNL. She won’t be sitting around doing nothing…she keeps busy with family, her photography hobby, and is an active member of the Almonte Lawn Bowling Club.
Thankfully, Nancy has signed on to our Communications and Public Education Committee and will continue to take part in Public Education events, especially Advance Care Planning sessions. We thank Nancy for her time and work and look forward to benefiting from her talents in the future!
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Book of the Month
Did you know that Home Hospice North Lanark has special sections in our local public libraries that hold a curated collection of books that deal with serious illness, death and dying, grief and bereavement, and other relevant subjects? Each month we feature a review written by someone in the organization to assist in choosing titles. All the reviews can be found here: https://hhnl.ca/public-education-events.
Bearing the Unbearable:
Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief
by Joanne Cacciatore, PhD
Review written by Ruth DuBois, Board member, HHNL
Read the full review here.
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REPORT FROM OUR PROGRAM COORDINATORS
It's been a very busy year! The biggest news is how our client numbers have increased in the last year. This means that we could really use some additional Visiting Volunteers. If you are interested in this rewarding work, we invite you to visit hhnl.ca/visiting-volunteer-information/, and then email Emily Ballinger RPN at Emily@hhnl.ca.
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We love to get positive feedback — it validates that we are offering what people need. These are some of the comments we've received recently:
"[The Program] Coordinator was great – a good listener – kind – calm – able to navigate difficult subjects."
"Thank you Emily – you are excellent."
"Sidney did an excellent job of intake followed by Emily who has been amazing. The volunteer she selected for my sister was excellent. This is an extremely well run program which is badly needed in our community."
"The support we received was exceptional. We would like to pass on that Sidney is absolutely wonderful. Her caring, expertise, advice, knowledge and support that she gave us was beyond what we expected. She took the time to explain things and to offer ideas for solutions. Hospice Lanark should be proud to have her as a staff person and hope that she is valued. She is certainly an asset to your company (sic) and to the community and we are certainly promoting your service to everyone that we talk to."
"Caregiver support – someone who understands my needs and was able to listen and offer."
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Coping With Grief Over the Holidays
As Jan mentioned in her message, we know that there are many people who find this time of year incredibly difficult. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need support. Here are links to some information that you may find helpful.
Grief: 10 Things to Keep in Mind (from Champlain Hospice Palliative Care)
Canadian Virtual Hospice
How to Cope With Grief During the Holidays
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We wish to thank all of our Visiting Volunteers for their dedication and commitment.
You are the heart of this organization!
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Do you have an HHNL experience you'd like to share? We'd love to hear about it!
When people read about the positive experiences others have had, they may also be motivated to reach our for help. (We will protect your anonymity, unless you tell us to do otherwise!)
You can send your story to Home Hospice North Lanark, Box 787, Almonte, Ontario K0A 1A0, or email chair@hhnl.ca.
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We are seeking dynamic, energetic people to join our team!
Volunteering with HHNL is a very satisfying experience; knowing you are making a real and lasting difference in the lives of people in your community. It is also an opportunity to learn new skills, grow as a person, gain valuable experience, and work with other dedicated people.
Won't you share your talents with us?
Presently, we are looking for Board members, and particularly people with experience in fundraising.
We are going to put together a team for each of our main fundraising events, so we are asking that people sign up for whichever one interests you the most. This ensures you have a start and an end to your obligations, and you can choose which event aligns with your interests and skills — the Spring Online Auction, the Hike for Hospice, or the Tree Fundraiser. If this interests you, please send an email to Jan Watson at chair@hhnl.ca.
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PUBLIC EDUCATION EVENTS IN FALL 2022 WERE WELL RECEIVED
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The Practical Caregiver Training, a course designed by Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program, took place between October 18 and November 15 at the Almonte Legion. Nancy Deschenes, Ruth Dubois, Sidney Thomson and Katrina Ayling shared their expertise with the 10 people who signed up. Robyn Breshnahan from CBC Ottawa Morning came out to see what it was all about. [You can listen to this excellent interview here]. We are planning to offer this valuable program again in the spring. Thank you to the Almonte Legion for letting us use their beautifully renovated hall at no cost.
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Participants were very clear about how much they benefited from the training:
"Thank you so much for offering the course to Caregivers this fall. It offered many good tips and support for those of us going through difficult times."
"Thank you so much, Jan, for coordinating the Caregiver's course which I felt very fortunate to have participated in this past month. I found it superb — very thorough and informative and delivered so very well by Ruth, Nancy, Sidney and Katrina. What a marvellous program you've put together and how thoughtful."
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Understanding Dementia & Advance Care Planning took place on November 22 at St. James Church, 225 Edmund Street, Carleton Place with 27 people in attendance. The first part of the event was presented by Robin Hull from Alzheimers Society of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville who is very knowledgable on the topic of dementia. The Advance Care Planning section of the event was presented by Nancy Deschenes from HHNL and lawyer Teresa DuBois of Howard Kelford & DuBois LLP in Carleton Place. This event, which we plan to offer again in the spring, generated a lot of interest and lots of questions. Ms. DuBois was able to answer questions on wills, power of attorneys and so on.
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Program coordinator Emily Ballinger, RPN, and Liz Higginson facilitated another successful eight-week Grief and Bereavement Support Group held between October 26 and December 7 in Almonte, for a group of 9 individuals. The group explored topics such as how each person's grief is unique. We had open discussions about normal reactions, self care, family and friend dynamics and interactions, and many other areas of interest to people who are mourning. We are planning to offer this program again in the spring.
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