Health & Palliative Care

• Promote community health, from youth to seniors
• Support community-based palliative care
• Support equipment acquisition at Langenburg Health Care Complex
• Encourage partnerships in health care promotion
• Encourage healthy lifestyles
• Work with the residents of Churchbridge, Spy Hill, and Langenburg to promote healthy communities
• Support seniors’ wellness initiatives
• Renovate palliative care room in Langenburg Health Care Complex

Partners in Health

Partners in Health is a new initiative designed to raise funds for much needed equipment in the Langenburg Care Home and Health Center.

Donations made to this fund will be match 50% by Family and Friends Health and Palliative Care Fund.

Palliative Care Volunteers

The Palliative Care Volunteer Team was formed as a result of discussion at a Family and Friends Foundation board meeting regarding a group of palliative care volunteers in Russell. The volunteers had been of assistance (especially at night) to the family of a patient dying in the hospital. This especially interested a member of the board who had thought of a similar group for elderly people alone and nearing end of life. After considerable discussion, the board began exploring the possibility of forming a group of volunteers and formed a committee to deal with health and end of life issues. In the fall of 2006, eleven volunteers from Spy Hill, Churchbridge and Langenburg formed what became a pilot project for the Sunrise Health Region. A training manual, provided to the group by Sunrise Health, was adapted by various presenters and used to train the Palliative Care Volunteer Team in the areas of palliative care, grief and bereavement. With the co-operation of Sunrise Volunteer Service and the Russell Palliative Care Volunteer Co-ordinator, policy has been developed to ensure client confidentiality, ongoing training and recruitment of volunteers to ensure program quality and longevity.

Our group of 6 to 8 volunteers believe no one should have to die alone. We sit with people at the Care Home; either in the Palliative room or the resident’s room. On occasion, we have been asked to sit with local people in St. Anthony’s Hospital in Esterhazy. We get referrals from the Care Home staff or patient families. Our purpose is to supplement or assist the family; we are not there to take time away from the family.

Training is mandatory for all volunteers. We try to have continuing education on a regular basis. We have had speakers and a number of training courses at our meetings.

Manitoba has superior courses for training palliative care volunteers. We try to use these courses to train new volunteers and also as a refresher for current volunteers.

If there are any questions regarding this program, feel free to contact Ann Kendel at 306-743-2376 or Don Wyand at 306-743-2310.