Hospice Society receives government grant
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Wheatland and Area Hospice Society (WAHS) has received a $7,000 grant from the Alberta Government to aid in bolstering end of life care for hospice patients.
WAHS president Joni McNeely said the grant is part of the government’s second wave of funding towards the project.
“A few years ago, the provincial government announced a $20 million funding for palliative care, and to improve access to education and services. The first $9 million was already released and this is the second funding amount,” said McNeely. “The first funding out included a lot of educational resources, so we were happy to leverage our grants application to improve access to those educational resources.”
The grant money went towards funding the purchase of eight iPads and headphones, as well as the data to keep end of life patients connected online.
McNeely said granting easy access to information for those who are largely unable to access such services otherwise can be a relief to those who need it.
“Online, there’s lots of resources regarding living with advanced illness, grief support, palliative education and general palliative issues,” explained McNeely. “There’s there also Zoom meetings and Zoom support groups that can help both a palliative client and their caregiver, and we’re hoping to use the iPads just to assist families to connect with their loved ones who may live farther away.”
The WAHS has also partnered with the Strathmore Municipal Library to create the Compassion Corner, which displays books and other resources regarding palliative care.
The library is also aiding in the distribution of the iPads and headphones for palliative patients. A volunteer will check out the equipment from the library and make the delivery either to the palliative patient’s home or long-term care facility.
“There’s so much information now that’s available online, both nationally, provincially and locally. We recognized that there was a break in actually creating and developing the programs and information that are online and the actual accessing of those resources,” said McNeely. “Our volunteers will supply the equipment and they’ll actually accompany and chaperone clients and caregivers to help access and to sit with them while they’re watching the programs, and to have some sort of discussion afterwards if that’s needed.”
The WAHS is also continuing its Farming for Hospice fundraiser, which will be ongoing until the end of November. The organization is continuing to encourage folks to purchase acres of land to help support the society and next year’s harvest.