This is a lovely piece about Margaret Anderson, who founded Ian Anderson House, a hospice in Oakville Ontario 25 years ago. She had cared for her husband when he was dying and wanted to make sure that others could have the same kind of care. I’d heard of the hospice but never knew the story behind it. https://www.thestar.com/life/together/remembrance/2022/10/16/remembering-margaret-anderson-a-pioneer-in-palliative-care.html?utm_source=share-bar&utm_medium=user&utm_campaign=user-share ..read more

Hello to my readers and followers! It’s been a long time since I posted here! I wanted to share my latest publication, which has very little to do with hospice volunteering (except that I sometimes wrote in bars about my experiences at hospice!) I hope it gives you a few laughs! https://brevity.wordpress.com/2022/06/08/writing-in-bars ..read more

I wanted to share the latest videos I’ve made on caring for caregivers. These videos were made at the request of Abbotsford House, the Seniors Centre where, in “normal times,” I would take fitness classes. The pandemic has disrupted everyone’s lives. For some people, the changes are more easily integrated into their pre-COVID lives. For many others, COVID has greatly exacerbated existing challenges. Caregivers, particularly those who care for someone with dementia, face isolation, increased workload, and anxiety about how best to protect themselves and those they care for. With programs cance ..read more

One of the most meaningful activities I engaged in as a residential hospice volunteer was singing to the residents. I wasn’t an official music volunteer nor was I a music therapist. I just love to sing and I have a huge repertoire of songs, from hymns to country and western favourites. I often sang to people who were anxious and finding it hard to settle down or go to sleep. Sometimes I sang to a person who was in their final days or hours and no longer responsive. I hoped that the music might reach deep inside and help them with their journey. Recently I received a book by another hospice vol ..read more

Here’s a lovely article about the resilience and flexibility of hospice services and volunteers in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. Now more than ever we need to find ways other than in-person to support others in need in our community. https://lindsayadvocate.ca/covid-19-making-the-gruelling-experience-of-dying-or-grieving-even-more-painful/ Let’s do our best to reach out to neighbours, family members, friends, and people in your community, especially people who may be isolated or alone. Be safe, be healthy, and enjoy the holidays ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 700,000 deaths world-wide and resulted in millions of casualties. How has the pandemic changed our perceptions, attitudes, and policies towards death and dying? Has it led to a greater understanding and acceptance of death as a part of life? Or has it increased our fear of dying, as people witness the devastation COVID has wrought in long-term care homes and other congregate facilities? How might it lead to more open conversations about how we want to live and die? These are some of the issues I discussed with Gaby Novoa of the Vanier Institute of the Fami ..read more

People in Ontario and Quebec have expressed shock and anger at the findings of the reports produced by the military personnel who have been deployed to long-term care homes in those provinces. I have watched the news coverage, read the Ontario report closely, and listened to the premiers and the Prime Minister. One question that remains foremost in my mind: what can I do to make sure that the system of long-term care homes is completely overhauled? We don’t need tinkering, we don’t need military personnel staying on as substitute PSWs and orderlies. The vast majority of deaths from COVID19 i ..read more

What’s going to happen? As restrictions because of COVID-19 begin to loosen across Canada, I wanted to share my latest video. I was asked to produce a series of short videos on the impact of COVID-19 on seniors. This video explores the possibilities and challenges we face today ..read more

As I was on my daily constitutional today (amidst polar winds and swirling snow), I passed a lengthy line of men outside the new artisanal chocolate shop in my neighbourhood. As I moved onto the street to maintain physical distance between the shoppers and myself, I found myself thinking about all the mothers who will face Mother’s Day during this extraordinary pandemic, COVID-19. I thought about mothers of children with disabilities who are without the essential service of the personal support workers who come to their home every day to help care for their children. I thought about homeless a ..read more

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/people-disabilities-personal-support-workers-covid19-1.5554052 Great article featuring my good friend (and guest speaker in my class many times, Liz Winkelaar ..read more