The PSCBV Bulletin
DECEMBER 2021
S E A S O N S G R E E T I N G S
Year-End Message From the Board Chair
Dear PCSBV Members/Donors,
The approaching holiday season is a time for reflection and wonder. As chair of the board of directors, I have become closely involved with all aspects of the PCSBV. I feel very honoured and privileged in this role. I am energized by the people I have met, our donors and volunteers and the people who work directly with grieving families.
Julie Hamilton, Chair, Board of Directors
Community engagement to increase the awareness of what palliative care entails has led to more collaborations with other Bow Valley community agencies. Our speaker series brought in experts in the field of grief support and palliative care to grow community knowledge and awareness. Volunteer training sessions in grief support have been oversubscribed and referrals from the medical community have risen steadily. We continue to work with the Town of Canmore to approve the construction of the palliative care centre and hospice. The property requires a bylaw amendment and the first reading of the submission to the TOC will be March 1, 2022. An interactive website is being planned to gather information from the public outlining the project and requesting feedback to help inform the councillors to decide in our favour. Your feedback and support will be very helpful. More information to come. In the coming weeks, three workshops in Truth and Reconciliation Awareness Training customized to our needs will be delivered to our board and staff. As we develop our palliative care programming, we need to become more informed on how to respectfully engage with our neighbours from the Stoney Nakoda First Nations Morley, regarding their cultural practices and needs in palliative care. The work we have accomplished would not have happened without the leadership, dedication, and commitment of our staff, volunteers and board. Volunteers are vital to our success, and I thank those who have stepped up and I encourage others to do so as well. Our annual fund is ongoing. I thank those who have donated and ask those who haven’t, to please do so. To conduct our work, pay our staff and undertake the training of volunteers requires philanthropy and grassroots support. The work we do is challenging yet extremely rewarding. The end game is well worth the effort and the world will be a much better place because of the work the PCSBV is doing today. I wish you all a very happy and peaceful holiday season.
Engaged 24 new relationships and partnerships with colleagues in the Bow Valley
5 Speakers Series events with 170 viewers
$65,000+ 100 COMMUNITY MEMBERS GOL F FOR HOS P I CE
3500+ hours of service from dedicated and passionate volunteers and board members
Participation of 71 individuals in our community presentations
Wednesday Walking Program successfully launched in September
16 health care professionals trained through PCSBV sponsored LEAP Program
Launched our Volunteer Training Program in October with 19 volunteers
H I KE FOR HOS P I CE
$15,000+ 110 PARTICIPANTS
D U R I N G T H E H O L I D A Y S Grief and Loss
Honor Traditions & Memories It can be helpful to continue with old traditions that existed in order to honor and celebrate the individuals who are no longer here or who are dealing with life limiting illness. This can be a helpful way to keep their memory present.
The holiday season is upon us and while there is plenty to celebrate and be grateful for, what if you are grieving the loss of a loved one? How do you deal with the mixed emotions of joy and sadness? Firstly, understand that it’s normal and it’s ok to feel conflicted with excitement and joy, while also feeling reluctant to participate in festivities or feel guilty about having fun. Grief is complex and unique and there is no ‘right way’ to deal with grief. The best way to handle grief through the holidays is to do it ‘your way’ with whatever works best for you. Secondly, remember to be kind and generous with yourself and take it one event and one feeling at a time. There is no one way to approach the holiday season, but here are ways to work within your grief or concern: Set Boundaries with Holiday Events Participate in only what feels right for you. While there may be pressure to attend a party, family gathering, or holiday experience, remember to check in with yourself and identify what you are actually ready for. Finding a balance between engaging and not pushing yourself is important. Have a Plan A and a Plan B – Plan A where you go to that holiday dinner with family and friends. If it doesn’t feel right, have your plan B ready where you do something for yourself to fill the time and space and participate in self-care. Plan Ahead to Fill Holiday Roles Loss often means that certain roles will need to be filled. It is important to think ahead to consider who will fill those roles. Planning ahead can avoid unnecessary moments of grief and can help make the experiences more anticipated and enjoyable.
Create New Traditions Creating new traditions can be healing for
individuals who are grieving. Making new memories does not erase old memories but your loved one will want you to enjoy the holidays. You can also try the holidays in a new way. Grief has a unique way of giving us permission to evaluate what parts of the holidays we enjoy and what parts we don’t, and can give us space to eliminate some traditions and form others. Identify Grief Coping Skills Prior to the holiday season beginning, consider creating a list of go-to coping skills to use whether you are at home or at a social function. Volunteer Helping others may help alleviate your own sadness while bringing joy elsewhere in your community. Ask For Help Seek support from friends, family, coworkers and professionals if needed. The holidays can bring up many complicated feelings. It’s completely normal and can be helpful to seek services from a therapist or psychologist. The holiday season is not always as merry as we want it to be. It’s normal to have mixed feelings about it and it’s important to know you are not alone. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and allow joy to co-exist with your grief and feelings of loss, when possible.
Video resource: How to cope with grief during the holidays
In allowing ourselves and others to record life experience, history, and create a legacy for future generations, the importance of story cannot be overstated. Stories are bridges between people, between cultures, and between generations. In telling stories and listening to others, the process helps us to bond, to impart knowledge and wisdom, and better understand each other. It brings elements of joy into the grieving process, as well as helping to find the emotional centre of grief. The specificity of story taps into our shared vulnerabilities, resonates with our own experiences, and connects our lives in deeply impactful ways. According to author Brene Brown, storytelling helps us all impose order on chaos—including emotional chaos. By allowing ourselves to share stories and engage with our loved ones through the storytelling process, it can help us to be brave enough to reckon with our deepest emotions. Stories about life and what connects us help us find our reckoning. In her book “Rising Strong,” Brown states the following: “In navigation, dead reckoning is how you calculate your location. It involved knowing where you've been and how you got there—speed, route, wind conditions. It's the same with life: We can't chart a new course until we find out where we are, how we came to that point and where we want to go.”
The Power of Storytelling in Life and Loss
When facing life limiting illness, for you or for a loved one, there are so many options and resources for how to move forward, to make sense of things, to cope with the holes left in life and love, and to find a new way of being. One such method that allows us to live on in eternity in memory is through the power of story and storytelling. Personal narrative and storytelling are important parts of the healing process, and much work on death, dying, grieving, and bereavement discusses the role of stories in coping with these fundamental human processes. The healing effects of narratives can be achieved in both verbal and written formats. Openly sharing one’s story verbally has a cathartic or purging effect and often can allow us a resilience and respite within the grieving process. Storytelling brings personal language and context alive, creating a participatory and immersive experience for all who share in it. It can be one of the most powerful means for us to influence, teach, and inspire. Research shows the benefits of storytelling and what can be known as reminiscence therapy, includes improved mood and behaviour, better communication, higher self-worth, reduced depression and a greater sense of meaning and belonging. This is reflected in the extent to which organizations are now hiring storytellers, or within the healthcare field bring in resources to help others share their stories. In December 2016 Storytelling Toronto, in conjunction with various long term care organizations, seniors organizations, and health care providers, held workshops and a symposium as part of The Storycare Project. As they describe on their website, linked below, Storycare was a new approach to integrating the art and experience of storytelling into healthcare and community leadership settings. Programming included workshops led by facilitators Norma Cameron and Rani Sanderson and talks by storytelling-in- palliative-care leader Mary Louise Chown, and Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Steven R. Sabat, in addition to performances and story circles led by veteran local storytellers.
If you and your loved ones are interested in learning more about the power of storytelling, or how to tell your stories, the following resources may be of use:
Podcasts: What’s Your Grief Podcast The Mindfulness Grief Podcast
Narratives and Storytelling in Coping with Grief and Bereavement, Cecilia Bosticco Teresa. L. Thompson, Ph.D. University of Dayton
Life, Death, and Humor: Approaches to Storytelling in Native America
The Power of Storytelling to Improve Healthcare
Storytelling Toronto: Memories Into Stories Great Questions
R EAD I NG AND V I DEO R E SOURCE S
VOLUNT E E R TRA I N I NG
The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully Author: Francis Weller Available at Banff Public Library Canmore Public Library Author: Dr. Frank Ostaseski, M.D. Available from PCSBV & Banff Public Library Canmore Public Library The Wild Edge of Sorrow : Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief Recommended Reads
January 2022 Schedule
Jan 11 Emotional/Psychological Supports 6:30-9:00 PM Zoom
Jan 22 Listening: Effective Communications 8:30-Noon Zoom
Jan 22 Virtual/Phone Support & Local Resource Navigation 1:00-3:00 PM Zoom
Jan 22 Volunteer Covenant and OHS 3:15-4:00 PM Zoom
Jan 23 Case Studies 8:30-Noon Zoom
Jan 23 Self-Care through Art 1:00-4:00 PM Zoom
Jan 25 Family & Family Dynamics 6:30-9:00 PM Zoom
Additional Resources
Current Volunteer opportunity : Hike for Hospice 2022
VIDEO: How Grief Affects Your Brain And What To Do About It | Better | NBC News
For more information or to submit a resume please contact Bill Harder: volunteers@pcsbv.ca
MOVIE: Still Mine 2012: An elderly couple fight to build their final home. Available on iTunes & the Canmore Public Library
UPCOMING EVENTS & DATES
Surviving the Holidays Trinity Bible Church December 2, 2021 at 6:30 pm Are you dreading the holidays? If you are facing grief this holiday season, you are not alone. Join a gathering online Thursday Dec. 2nd at 6:30pm to 8:30pm for grieving people to talk about what to expect this season and to learn how to deal with the many emotions brought on by the holidays. If you would like to join or know of someone who could benefit, please share. Space is limited, register now for this no cost event. Find out more here: GriefShare
Join the Festivities! The Palliative Care Society of Bow Valley will be at the 12th Annual Festival of Trees located at the Malcolm Hotel, Canmore. December 3rd to 31, 2021. You will need to be fully vaccinated to use the indoor walking track and will need proof of vaccination and ID when you go the first time. When we gather for the conversation part of our group, we will all need to be masked. There are no fees to use the track. We will have a tree up for sale. Proceeds from the Festival will go to worthy causes across our community. To attend and get more info on this event, please go to Rotary Club of Canmore. Grief walk has moved to Wednesday afternoons at 1:30 PM, meeting at the Canmore Recreation Centre to utilize the indoor walking track. (We’ll gather near the front desk) To use the track, participants must fill out the Town of Canmore waiver. Click here to fill out the waiver online. This need only be done once. You may also fill it out at the recreation centre. The first time you go the track, check in at the front desk. The staff will print off a membership card for you (no cost) which you may use anytime you enter the facility (they track how many people use the space). If you already have an Elevation Place or Recreation Centre membership card, you can ignore these instructions.
Volunteer Apreciation - Hotdog Lunch On Friday, December 3 , from 12:00-1:00 p.m. volunteers of any kind are invited to walk, drive, or bike down Walk of Champions (9 Street next to the Civic Centre) where the Family and Community Support Services team will be handing out a hot dog lunch to show its appreciation for all of the incredible volunteers in the community for International Day of Volunteers. Help spread the word to the volunteers in your life. We look forward to seeing you, thanking you, and feeding you for all that you do!
H E L P T O D A Y F O R S U P P O R T T O M O R R O W
The Palliative Care Society of the Bow Valley offers essential services to those in our community experiencing life-altering changes, including terminal diagnoses, life-limiting illness, and grief. This year we began offering weekly grief support walking groups, launched our volunteer training program, and continued our Speaker Series and palliative care education programs. We continue to build valuable partnerships across the region to ensure individuals and families can navigate the palliative care system smoothly. These initiatives have resulted in increased demand for our support services. There is much more to do, and we ask for your financial assistance in growing our capacity to deliver exceptional palliative care. Additionally, the PCSBV has received a donation of 2 acres of land in South Canmore for our planned 6 bed hospice. We are currently working with the Town of Canmore to gain the necessary approvals for development of this property. Updates will be forthcoming.
It will take financial support from people like you to reach our goals. Please consider making a donation today! Specify if you want to contribute to our projects: General, Building or Outreach. Donations of $25 or more will receive a charitable receipt.
Here are the ways you can make a donation: Online at www.pcsbv.ca and click on the “ Donate ” button. Send a cheque to: Palliative Care Society of the Bow Valley, PO Box 40113, Canmore, AB T1W 3H9
With your help, the PCSBV can change the dialogue about grief and loss, and create a healthier, stronger, more resilient, and compassionate community.
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