Member of the Month
The BC Rural Health Network Member of the Month for February 2023
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Revelstoke Hospice Society
Revelstoke Hospice Society is a collection of about 30 compassionate volunteers who go out into the community and support individuals and families through end of life and bereavement. There is a part-time Executive Director and Volunteer Coordinator. Revelstoke Hospice Society was created in 1994 by retired health professionals and dedicated community members that saw the need to bring hospice palliative care to the Revelstoke community. Nearly 30 years later, many of these founding women remain active members in the Hospice community. In 1997 the Circle of Life Tree in Queen Elizabeth Park was dedicated by Hospice and is a quiet place for people to reflect. It also serves as the place where Hospice hosts the Annual Snowflake Ceremony. We use laminated paper snowflakes for individuals to write their deceased loved ones names and we honour and remember them each year in December around the Circle of Life Tree. The Hospice Society also participates in the national Hike for Hospice each year in May. For our hike, we invited our local historian and museum curator to give a walking tour of the historical site, it is a wonderful fundraiser and participant numbers grow each year.
In 2012 Hospice introduced the Pals program to the community, which is a companioning program for volunteers and seniors who experience isolation. This is an opportunity to offer one on one social, emotional and spiritual support to seniors who do not have family, or family cannot visit for whatever reason. The Pals program fits nicely into the Palliative Care services Hospice provides. It is an opportunity for volunteers to make a connection with individuals before their final chapter in life, helping people find meaning, dignity and peace is at the core of what we do, and that starts well before life’s end. Palliative Care support means different thing to difference families and our trained volunteers meet individuals where they are at, by providing respite, vigil support and many different “breathers” in order to help them live their life to the fullest.
Revelstoke Hospice Society also offers a weekly Walking Program at a long term care facility in the summer months, where we take residents who would not otherwise get outdoor time into the neighbourhood for a 30-45 minutes stroll. Volunteer are paired with a resident and stay for some social time and refreshments afterwards.
On the last Monday of every month the Hospice Society hosts a Death Cafe at a local cafe downtown. The public is welcome to join in the social conversation about death, life and loss and “increase their awareness of death, to make the most of their (in)finite lives”. Young and old attend the month Death Cafe and usually have very animated discussions on all topics related to life and love.
And twice a year, Hospice facilitates Grief and Bereavement Support groups. For 6-8 weeks participants join 2 facilitators for two hours in a non-judgmental environment where they are given emotional, practical and spiritual support to help them work through their grief and express it openly.
Recently, the Hospice has introduced a Hospice on Wheels in our Acute Care of the Queen Victoria Hospital, one in Mount Cartier Court long term care and another in Moberly Manor an assisted living facility. The Hospice on Wheels is a cart that can move from room to room and offers families simple comforts as they journey with their loved ones into the final days. It allows staff a breather, so families can be independent and enjoy simple comforts of tea/coffee, snacks and literature games and activities. It is also a way to support families who do not need a hospice volunteer in the room with them and their loved one. Similarly, Hospice has begun creating comfort baskets that can be delivered to those dying in their own homes.
Theresa Hamilton (she/her)
Executive Director | Revelstoke Hospice Society
Office: Suit I- 200 Campbell Ave, Revelstoke B.C.
Mailing: PO Box 3133 Revelstoke, B.C. V0E 2S0
Email: revhosp@telus.net
Phone:(250)837-5523 | Mobile:(587)223-8486
revelstokehospicesociety.ca
I live, work and play with gratitude on the ancestral, traditional and
unceded territory of the Sinixt, Ktunaxa, Secwepmec and Sylix Nations.
