It takes a village to care for people struggling with an illness and their loved ones. In Canada, multiple non-profit organizations and volunteer groups provide outstanding services behind the scenes, often without the recognition they deserve. Each of these organizations are unique in their own way and often rely on the generous contribution of volunteers to provide essential and compassionate services in their communities.
Since 2007, mission is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of cancer patients, patients at the end of life and their caregivers as well as bereaved persons, by offering them support, accompaniment and respite services at home. They serve the residents of three regional county municipalities in the Laurentian region of Quebec (Pays-d鈥檈n-Haut, Laurentian and Southern Antoine-Labelle). 笔补濒濒颈补肠肠辞鈥檚 services are free and bilingual.
With the aim of listening and providing accompaniment, Palliacco 鈥� named after the words 鈥�Palliative鈥� and 鈥�Accompaniment鈥� 鈥� offers a variety of services at home, in long-term care centres or in their three office locations. For example, they offer different support groups: to talk about grief, to relax through yoga or breathing, and to support each other, for example if they have cancer or are in remission. There is also a group for 鈥減roches aimants鈥� (a word play on the word 鈥渃aregiver鈥� in French). Additionally, they offer respite care, individual support and accompaniment and even massage therapy at home.
鈥�Often times, people are surprised to know that these services are offered, that they exist鈥� says C茅line S茅guin, Services Coordinator at Palliacco.
Along with all those services, Palliacco also offers accompaniment training for their volunteers. There are two training sessions offered every year and it is mandatory for potential volunteers to follow a training course because Palliacco wants to ensure that people are the right fit: 鈥淪ome people sign up for the training without imagining what it involves, what it can touch inside of us to accompany someone who is about to die, for example. It is as if it makes us touch our own death. There are people for whom it is not suited.鈥� (C茅line S茅guin, Services Coordinator at Palliacco). Those words are echoed by Minnie Richardson, volunteer at Palliacco: 鈥淚t鈥檚 challenging to be so close to somebody who is so vulnerable and close to death. It brings up all kinds of emotions.鈥�
For the volunteers who offer at-home respite for caregivers, an important part of the training is about communication, because as C茅line S茅guin says: 鈥�our volunteers are there to listen and be present.鈥�聽 笔补濒濒颈补肠肠辞鈥檚 respite service is designed to have a volunteer assigned to someone and have them be present at their house for blocks of four hours per week in order for the caregiver to have some time to run errands, or to simply rest. Those in charge of accompaniment try to ensure that people get matched with someone with whom they have a natural affinity 鈥� for example, two people who like to garden.
For Minnie Richardson, volunteer at Palliacco, her match is very positive. She is assigned to a lady nearing the end of life who does not speak English or French very well. But that did not bother Minnie because, while they can talk about the basics, 鈥渢he conversation is not where it鈥檚 happening, it鈥檚 more being in the present with her. There were looks that we exchanged that said quite a lot.鈥� Despite not being able to communicate much, Minnie experienced moments of tenderness and she remembers some moments fondly. Speaking about the lady she is assigned to, she said: 鈥淭he last time I saw her, she was in quite some pain but she would look up at me and have these bright eyes and her face would light up and as I was leaving, she would say 鈥淎nytime! Come anytime!鈥� Her caregiver had left out some special biscuits and when I ate the biscuits that had been left out, she said 鈥淏ravo! Bravo!鈥� because she was so pleased I鈥檇 eaten the biscuits. It鈥檚 the sweet, simple things.鈥�
While it can be a challenging experience at times, Minnie Richardson describes the rewards of accompaniment: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a human connection and life is still very much there. There鈥檚 no pretending about much. It feels like an act of love to be there for someone with what they鈥檙e going through 鈥� if they鈥檙e in pain, they鈥檙e in pain, and you have to be there for that. If they go for a nap and you鈥檙e not in the same room as them, that鈥檚 part of the work. It鈥檚 not always easy but it鈥檚 nourishing. I think it can connect you to your own humanity and mortality and it reminds you that we鈥檙e all going to end up in a similar situation. It鈥檚 humbling and puts things into perspective.鈥�
Thanks to their volunteers 鈥渨ithout whom Palliacco would quite simply not exist鈥� (C茅line S茅guin), the organisation is able to offer some respite to caregivers, as well as a space for people who are sick or grieving to share what they are going through and be heard.
More recently, Palliacco has also added a new service aimed at youths 18 and under who have cancer and need support, or who are about to lose a loved one.
As their services are expanding and Palliacco keeps pursuing its mission to help maintain the quality of life of persons with cancer, with terminal illnesses, of caregivers and of those who are grieving, by providing support, accompaniment and respite services at home, C茅line S茅guin has one wish: that people know that 鈥淧alliacco is there for them, to support them, and that they work with diligence and compassion.鈥�
