Scott Gardiner of the Near North Palliative Care Network paid a visit to Callander’s municipal council during its last meeting. He presented some “sobering statistics” to council members and the public “about the value of care in the province of Ontario,” particularly the “the current and worsening crisis in palliative care.”
He mentioned that by 2050, there will be around 9.6 million baby boomers in Ontario “that will require end of life services, and by 2046, one in five Ontarians will be over the age of 85.” Are we prepared for this? As of now, Gardiner noted, “there are just under 500 hospice and 4,000 care beds in the entire province.”
The math isn’t adding up, he said, and urged people to help with the coming crisis by volunteering for training through the Near North Palliative Care Network. The organization operates on a “completely volunteer basis” Gardiner said, and sends volunteers out to help people in the community. These volunteers also aid caregivers, as caring for a loved one can “be very stressful,” and add strain on one’s mental and physical health, “so we support the caregivers as well.”
This could be something as simple as helping to run some errands for the household or provide some relief to the caregiver by stopping by and allowing that caregiver to run their own errands. Moreover, “our goal is to provide all of our training and resources free of charge,” Gardiner said, “so that those people can stay in their homes as long as possible.”
See: Here's to 35 years of Near North Palliative Care Network support
He encourages folks to take the training offered by the Care Network. It is free, and once complete, there is no obligation to volunteer with the organization. “There’s no commitment to taking on clients,” he emphasized, “it’s just a matter of helping people get trained so that they are in a position to help, if they so choose.”
In total, the Near North Palliative Care Network has over 75 hours of training available, and “it’s all virtual,” and can be completed at home. The “goal is to build the volunteer base in all of our communities and to be able to help as many people as we can.”
Hence his visit to Callander council, as the organization is “looking to network with leaders in all of our communities so that we can advocate for our services.” The municipality mentioned it would add a post to its website, and think of some other ways to help get the word out.
Our goal, Gardiner emphasized, is “that people in our communities can live and be comfortable at home for as long as possible, and have the dignity, comfort and all of the support that they need and deserve.”
For more information or to lend a hand, visit the Near North Palliative Care Network’s website.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
