Compassion Connection 5th Edition from Home Hospice North Lanark

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A NOTE FROM THE CHAIR

As we look forward to spring, we want to share with you some of our activities in the first three months of 2022. A potentially very positive development to report is that Toni Surko, Chair of the Fundraising Committee and I, with the support of the Board, have been reaching out to our healthcare partners in an effort to take the organization to a new level. We are being supported by the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Network for the cost of a consultant who will work with us to research the hospice needs and existing services in our area and develop a business case for HHNL. This research includes exploring a co-location model for hospice beds in our service area, an innovative approach. This report will allow us to thoroughly examine the feasibility of operating hospice beds. We are collaborating with Beth Donavan Hospice in Kemptville and Arnprior Regional Health who are exploring the same model and will share the work. We are also making good progress on our pursuit of accreditation through Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO), which will add to the standing of HHNL.

We will keep the community up-to-date as things progress!

Scroll in down the page for more great news!

— Jan Watson, Chair

Please feel free to share this newsletter with family and friends. If you haven't signed up for the newsletter yet, you can do so at hhnl.ca. Is there something you would like to see covered in our newsletter? Drop us an email at chair@hhnl.ca.

Do you or a loved one need support from our team? Please contact our Program Coordinator: email: info@hhnl.ca • phone: 613-406-7020 • fax: 613-691-6060.

A GOOD NEWS STORY!

Comfort Crew Delivers Gifts to Stoneridge Manor

It wasn’t a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it was a trunk full of lap blankets, shawls and socks all handcrafted by members of Home Hospice North Lanark’s Comfort Crew.

This group, started last fall with only three members, has become a wonderfully successful program. When Kathryn Stevens, Renate Seiler and Jennifer Hoy got this going they committed to six items per year. Local and social media let the community know about the new endeavour and calls started to come in — people wanted to donate yarn (to date, we haven’t needed to purchase any and we have plenty to keep going), and picked up their needles, ready to answer the call. There are now more than 30 people sharing their talents.

We have presented a number of items to our clients, as per the original plan, and took a load of gift bags to Almonte Country Haven just before Christmas.

This brings us to Stoneridge Manor Long Term Care Home in Carleton Place, on St. Patrick’s Day this year. Daniel and Lilly, staff disguised as leprechauns — or at least Irish revelers — happily accepted the abundance of hand-knit items destined for some of the residents, many of whom watched the presentation through the dining room windows.

While it might not technically have been a pot of gold, it was certainly a pot of something equally valuable — the caring and love put into every stitch by the knitters, with the intention of providing comfort to people they don’t even know.

As James M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, said: “Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” We thank everyone involved with the Comfort Crew, and hope they feel the warmth of the sunshine they share.

PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

Fourth Satellite Office Opens in North Lanark

Hey, Carleton Place, Home Hospice North Lanark is Here For You!

We are excited to announce that we have opened our fourth satellite office.

Every Thursday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., people can stop by the Carleton Place Public Library to have a chat with our Program Coordinator, Sidney Thomson R.N. You don’t need an appointment; you can simply stop by at 101 Beckwith Street, Carleton Place. For information about our other satellite offices in Almonte and Pakenham, you can visit hhnl.ca/contact-us/.

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Home Hospice North Lanark (HHNL) invites anyone who has experienced a loss more than six months ago to join our upcoming Grief and Bereavement Support Group.
HNNL works to create a safe and supportive environment where people who are grieving may come and openly express themselves. These groups are based on a peer support model with trained facilitators. The aim is to create a sense of community with others who are also experiencing grief, and help the participants to come to an understanding of the natural processes of grief.
The group will run for eight Wednesdays, from March 30 until May 18, 2022.
From 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church, 111 Church Street, Almonte.
Registration is required. To register, email: sidney@hhnl.ca no later than Sunday March 20, 2022.
You are not alone.

Are You a Caregiver for Someone With Dementia or Other Cognitive Impairment?
This program will be hosted in-person. It will be delivered in two 3-hour sessions on Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church, 111 Church Street, Almonte. Registration is required. Please email Sidney Thomson R.N. at sidney@hhnl.ca or call 343-262-0902. Registration deadline is Wednesday, March 30 at 4 p.m.

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RECOMMENDED READING
This book is available for loan at the Mississippi Mills Public Library

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You

by Nancy Tillman

I wanted you more than you'll ever know, so I sent love to follow wherever you go. . . .

Love is the greatest gift we have to give our children. It's the one thing they can carry with them each and every day. If love could take shape it might look something like these heartfelt words and images from the inimitable Nancy Tillman. Here is a book to share with your loved ones, no matter how near or far, young or old, they are.

Book of the Month
In February we initiated a new program. The first Wednesday of every month we are publishing a review of one of the books in the HHNL collection at Mississippi Mills Public Library (MMPL). Our first two books were reviewed by board member Ruth Dubois. Ruth’s background in palliative care stems from over 42 years of work as an RN and nurse educator in a variety of areas including geriatrics, surgery, medicine, mental health, and community home care. You can find the reviews on The Millstone News and post them on our website and FaceBook page, and of course you can find the books at MMPL.

Visit this link to find the whole collection at Mississippi Mills Public Library, at both branches. You can see the collection and reserve your book here:

MMPL Collection

A NEW BOARD MEMBER TO INTRODUCE

Cindy Sue Potter joined Home Hospice North Lanark Board of Directors in September 2021. Cindy Sue has worked in the legal community for over 25 years and has actively been involved in numerous community and volunteer organizations in both her professional and personal life. Cindy Sue lives with her family in Cedar Hill (between Pakenham and Almonte), and when she is not cheering on daughters at one of many extracurricular sports, Cindy Sue enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, walks with her dog, and relaxing by a campfire.

Thank you for coming on Board, Cindy Sue!

Would you like to become more actively involved with HHNL? Some of our Board members are coming to the end of their terms. There is a lot of exciting progress in the organization. Come be part of our positive progress! If this interests you, please send an email to Jan Watson at chair@hhnl.ca.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE
HHNL relies 100% on donations and targeting fundraising to finance our programs and training. We thank everyone who shows their support!

Check out these varieties:
Common Whitchhazel • Newport Plum • Cutleaf Weeping Birch • Ginkgo Biloba (Maidenhair Tree) • Ivory Silk Lilac
See what's still available at www.hhnl.ca/trees

Our Spring Auction Fundraiser is going live on April 10! We are gathering lots of wonderful items to bid on. You can get yourself something great, and know that you are making a very real difference in the lives of people going through a hard time. Details to come. It's going to be lots of fun!
P.S. If you'd like to donate something to the auction, it's not too late. If you have something to contribute, please email Phyllis@hhnl.ca.

We — and our clients — are so grateful for your support. You can be proud that you are helping us continue and expand our services.