Compassionate Care Course 

Volunteers are integral to quality hospice palliative care. The Compassionate Care Course informs, nurtures, and demonstrates how inherent personal qualities and accumulated life skills/experience can be used in helpful ways. This educational course is valuable not only to volunteers but to all caregivers in the community.


Program goals are...


• to explore personal attitudes to dying and death

• to deepen self awareness

• to enhance interpersonal skills

• to receive information on the effects of dying and grieving

• to explore the role of the volunteer in hospice care

• to understand the importance of self care



This 20 hour course is available ...

• twice a year (eight weeks in length) in Winnipeg

• in rural areas called the Friend in Hand Program• taught by palliative care professionals representing chaplaincy, nursing, medicine, social work, and volunteer management• approved for a 20 hour elective credit, U of M Applied Counseling Certificate Program

Overview of Course Content...

• Introduction to Hospice

• Role of Volunteer

• Death and Dying: Myths, Attitudes, and Beliefs

• Comfort Measures

• Listening and Responding

• Spiritual Care

• Loss, Grief, and Bereavement

• Role of the Volunteer (continued)

For more information, contact Peggy McRitchie, Coordinator of Volunteers, email: pmcritchie@manitobahospice.mb.ca If you would like to volunteer please download our Volunteer Application Form click below:  New Volunteer Application Form- September 2009.pdf

The course is...

• for those preparing to care for or support individuals/families living with a terminal illness or coping with grief   



Volunteer Opportunities - Hospice & Palliative Care Manitoba benefits from the support of over 400 volunteers.

Companion Volunteers provide end-of-life and/or bereavement support to individuals and families. To prepare for this work, volunteers are required to take HPCM's Volunteer Education Program. This eight week course (2.5 hours/week) is facilitated by Hospice staff and features professional guest speakers on the topics of Communication, Comfort Measures, Bereavement, Spirituality and Death and Dying: Myths/Attitudes/Beliefs.

In addition to direct care, we also welcome volunteers with skills and interests related to:

• Office and administrative support

• Newletter

• Fund Raising

• Public Relations

• Special event planning

• Conference planning

• Education/Volunteer support

• Board/Committees

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with Hospice, call 889-8525 or email Peggy  McRitchie, Coordinator of Volunteers, for more information at email: pmcritchie@manitobahospice.mb.ca

Educational Resources


Manitoba Palliative Care Norms of Practice 2005.pdf


Friend in Hand - a portable Volunteer Education Program


Volunteer Bereavement Handbook - a resource for volunteers providing bereavement care

Professional Speakers List -

Provides organizations/groups who are planning educational events with a current list of speakers available to address a wide range of hospice palliative care topics.

Examples of topics are:

• Pain and Symptom Management;

• Loss and Bereavement;

• Self care;

• Cross Cultural Care;

• Fundraising;

• Volunteer and Bereavement Program Development;

• Humour and Health; Spirituality in the Aboriginal   Community;

• Ethical Issues;

• Helping Children Whose Parents Are Seriously Ill, etc.



Pamphlets printed for distribution -

• Hospice & Palliative Care Manitoba

• Volunteer Visiting Service

• Coping with a Life-Limiting Illness

• Coping with Grief

• Volunteer Education Program

• Friend in Hand

• Coping with the Holidays

To order any of the above, email: info@manitobahospice.mb.ca


 Presentations  The following presentations are From the 2008 THE MANY FACES OF PALLIATIVE CARE and are in Power Point or PDF format. The PDF format require the Adobe PDF Reader to view them. To download the Adobe PDF Reader click here.   



 End of Life Decision Making by Dr. Michael Harlos End_of_Life_Decision_Making.pdf 

Pain Assessment and Management in the Cognitively Impaired by Dr. Romayne Gallagher Pain_Assessment_in_the_Cognitively_Impaired.pdf

Pain Management in Chronic Non-Cancer Illness by Dr. Romayne Gallagher  Pain_Management_in_Chronic_Non-Cancer_Illness.pdf

Palliative Care: Dying to Talk about Death by Danielle Savage  PC_Dying_to_Talk_about_Death.pdf

Spiritual Care of the Individual, the Family, and the Caregiver in Palliative Care by Glen R. Host   Spiritual_Care_of_the_Individual.pdf


Links  www.chpca.net (French and English)  The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association is the national charitable association which provides leadership in hospice palliative care in Canada.

www.chpca.net/canadian directory of services.htm (French and English) The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association On-line Directory provides contacts for programs and services across the country.

www.cnpcc.ca  The Canadian Network for Palliative Care for Children site includes information on pedriatric hospice palliative care in Canada. www.parl.gc.ca (Click on Senators)

Senator Sharon Carstairs' site for the National Secretariat for quality end-of-life care.

www.hospicecare.com    International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care




     
volunteer services | volunteer education | grief | advocacy