Palliative Care Volunteers
Since October 2017, work has been underway to re-establish Palliative Care Volunteers in the Valley. Susan Miles has joined the Annapolis Valley Palliative Care Team to lead the Volunteer Program. They have recruited and screened 32 caring and compassionate individuals who are prepared to visit our patients in their homes, hospital, nursing home or hospice. Twenty of them have successfully completed the required training program, and since July have begun regularly visiting patients. The others are continuing their training and when ready will be assigned a patient. The role of palliative care volunteers is to provide companionship, a listening ear, or respite so that a caregiver can take a break. They might write a letter, make a cup of tea, play a game of cards, or just be a friend. We are now starting to plan for volunteer roles for the hospice.