Local palliative care service has new home, new programs

The local palliative care service has new offices, new programs to offer those suffering a serious illness and their families, and new bereavement support for those who have lost a loved one.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Palliative Care Service now has four offices in the Niagara Medical Centre on Niagara Stone Road, beside Simpson’s Pharmasave, sharing space with doctors of the Niagara North Family Health Team.

Executive director Bonnie Bagnulo says since their services were relocated recently from the former hospital building, she has been delighted with the amount of space they have, made available when some of the family health team services moved to the new Village Medical Centre.

She also loves the central location — about as perfect as it can be, bringing them closer to a growing number of Virgil, St. Davids and Glendale clients. It alleviates parking issues, and provides a welcoming environment for those looking for information about services.

Although there were doctors’ offices nearby when the former hospital was their home, she says, “clients were less likely to wander down the hall to find us. Anyone who sits in the waiting room here will see our offices,” which are conveniently sectioned off from doctors, and next to the waiting room and check-in desk. “That helps with raising awareness for us.”

It also helps with the growth in programming, as does the proximity to the doctors themselves, who are the chief source of patient referrals.

“We held a lunch and learn with the whole team,” she said, which was very well received.

“Doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and reception staff found there were so many services we provide that they were unaware of. It’s a huge boost of awareness, and for referrals.”

The offices provide space for administrative staff, a volunteer coordinator and a bereavement coordinator, who is coming on board thanks to a federal grant, and will be able to “ramp up bereavement services,” says Bagnulo.

The palliative care service also has a contract psychosocial consultant, she adds. “He brings the next level of professionalism to our support services, helping those in bereavement. For our team to provide that support to our clients who require that level of service is really important for us — there is no normal grief process. It is so individual for everyone.”

People who need more end-of-life, existential discussions, with questions such as “what was I here for, those deeper conversations before death, can add layers of support,” she says.

However, for the first time since the service was formed in 1986, she says, “we’re paying rent.”

A small portion of that is paid through ministry funding — while they receive some grant money, about 70 per cent of the costs of the services they provide is funded through donations, fundraisers and memorial gifts.

Their new space also provides storage for the equipment they lend out, says Bagnulo, praising Sean Simpson for being so accommodating. They’ve been given space in the basement, and they can use the pharmacy conveyor belt to take equipment up to the back door, and back down again when it’s returned. “It makes life so much easier for us,” she says.

They offer wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower seats, transfer benches, cushions and comfort items — almost everything anyone during an illness might need, other than lifts and recliners, she says. “Also room monitors for caregivers so they can get a good night’s sleep are vey helpful,” Bagnulo adds.

“The mission from the time I started is to reach people,” she says. “Many people have struggled — we want to put some of those fires out and help them navigate what is an uncomfortable journey to be on alone.”

The palliative care service has some events coming up — the really well-
received butterfly release from last year will be held June 17, with butterflies reserved by May 20. Bagnulo says they will try to accommodate people who reach out by May 31, the absolute deadline, but she can’t guarantee the butterflies will still be available.

This event is intended as a tribute to all loved ones, says Bagnulo, from partners to pets, who passed in 2022. There will be a memorial scroll that will be read out loud by Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa with the names of those who died in 2022, but not the names of those from earlier years, she says — they learned their lesson last year, when the reading just took too long for those waiting to release the butterflies, and for the butterflies themselves.

This is the second year for the event, the butterflies will again be painted ladies from Alberta, and are $25 each.

There will be room for displays again inside the community centre, and time for people to chat with each other, says Bagnulo, but once everyone moves outside, the release will be quick, with fewer speeches, for the sake of the butterflies.

“It’s an open venue, not a formal service. And we learned a lot from last year.”

Bagnulo says she is also pleased to be able to offer the Shred-it event on Aug. 19.

It will once again be held in the parking lot of Simpson’s Pharmasave, she says, advising those who have personal papers stored to save the date for the event, which supports palliative care programs.

And there are new programs, she says, including a Recharge Caregivers Group, offering a safe space for caregivers to express their experiences and struggles with others on a similar journey. It includes mindfulness practices, relaxation techniques, and provides resources for burnout and caregiver fatigue.

“The group is open to anyone who cares for another. We understand the patient needs all the support they can receive while walking through a progressive life-limiting illness. However, their crew, the people taking care and responsibility for their loved one, can oftentimes find themselves overwhelmed, facing caregiver burnout, and under great duress. We decided to offer a Recharge once a week,” says Bagnulo.

This group meets at the community centre with a different facilitator every week, she says. “Sometimes it’s instructional; such as aromatherapy, reflexology, or creating a vision board, and sometimes a registered professional therapist who facilitates the group offers discussions about self-care and coping strategies.”

There are also bereavement walking groups, she says, and art groups, including one for children experiencing bereavement. Trained volunteers will facilitate creative work, with art a medium to “reframe the narrative of illness and death.”

In addition there are art pet loss workshops, with local artists to help create a unique and personalized project that memorializes a  beloved family pet.

Anyone looking for more information can call 905-468 4433, visit notlpc.com or email [email protected].

Or, says Bagnulo, knock on the door of her office in the Niagara Medical Clinic, a home that she describes as finally feeling permanent, “at least for now — you never know what the future might bring. But this feels like the best move palliative care has ever made.”