Emily’s House / Philip Aziz Centre for Hospice Care E-Newsletter: March – May 2021
Owen and the Tile Mosaic
From home in March, children and families participated in an Emily’s House tile mosaic community art project. The series of 30-minute Zoom sessions enabled participants to mosaic together, including 15- year-old Owen who needs social interaction. His mom was delighted that Emily’s House reached out to them: “Owen loves art,” she said. “He really needs this. He’s really loving this!” … “You make a difference, and you have a profound impact on the patients and families you provide care for.”
To read more about Owen and the Tile Mosaic, or new web articles featuring Baby Ari, Allan, and more, visit “Emily’s House: Our Stories”: https://www.emilyshouse.ca/our-stories/.
Virtual & Safe Hospice Programming
Many of our hospice programs that were previously delivered face-to-face — after adding some creativity and technology — have expanded into practical remote supports. Onsite 24/7 clinical paediatric care has introduced safety protocols to protect patients and families. Our children’s program calendar has something fun scheduled for every day of April; new care / grief groups for adults are launching via privacy protected video technology; and online training opportunities for our hospice volunteers are non-stop.
PAC Community Virtual Sessions
From a community client regarding invitations to Virtual Sessions: “Thank you so much for thinking of the caregivers. These sessions all sound so great. Even just opening the envelope I received in the mail, and reading all the ways you thought to support us, quite literally brought tears to my eyes. To say this has been a challenging or stressful time is most certainly an understatement.”
Garden Memorial
Plans are underway for the next Emily’s House Virtual Garden Memorial. Our Spiritual Care Practitioner will contact families with more information.
“Best Practice Spotlight Organization”
Our CEO, RauniSalminen, and our Emily’s House Nurses are in the early stages of a global healthcare initiative: Emily’s House has been selected as a “Best Practice Spotlight Organization” … “Building a Centre of Excellence in Safety.” The initiative will elevate professionalism among clinicians, and further education in paediatric palliative care.
National Volunteer Week
It’s National Volunteer Week, and we couldn’t appreciate our volunteers more. They will be feeling the love this week. As well as virtual celebrations and surprises, our Volunteer Department is providing ongoing supports to encourage volunteer health, wellbeing, and professional development. Volunteer retention is vitally important even when volunteers may be temporarily supporting fewer hospice clients face-to-face than pre-COVID times.
Volunteers Gardening at EH
What could be a more encouraging sign of spring than smiling volunteers cultivating a garden? Thank you to Carol and Lydia, Emily’s House Gardening Volunteers, for opening the gardens, keeping a safe distance, and encouraging blossoms, buds and beauty. Special thanks also to Beech Nursery on Carlaw Avenue for donating plants.
Prophix Software Inc. Employee Vote
Thank you to Prophix Software Inc. and their employee giving initiative for their recent support of Emily’s House children’s hospice. The Prophix Corporate Social Responsibility team encourages employees to present charities for an employee vote on how to direct their corporate donations. Amanda Stone, Regional Account Manager, Construction & Real Estate, Prophix Software Inc., wrote: “I am very excited that Emily’s House was elected for our quarterly donation project at Prophix. Throughout my campaigning, I felt so much support from my colleagues and received a ton of positive feedback from people who really appreciate what Emily’s House does – I wanted to relay this appreciation to you. We are grateful for this opportunity to give back to you.” Prophix donated $25,000 which helped our hospice to pivot to offer virtual in-home children’s hospice supports and family events, via YouTube, secure Zoom, and individual technology devices. “We are constantly seeking out charities to work with whether it is for our quarterly donation or to provide opportunities for our staff to volunteer,” said Ron Massicotte, Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Prophix: “We are looking forward to working more with Emily’s House in the future.”
Donate Online
Now, more than ever, as parents are physically isolated at home, and often providing 24/7 care for a medically-fragile child, all hospice supports designed to relieve the strain and bring children joy are desperately needed. For palliative adults at home, phone check-ins, virtual groups, and home-delivery supports can be a lifeline. Your donation can be directed to life-giving hospice programs. To donate online, visit: Donation Page
Events Updates
2021 Hike for Hospice: An announcement is coming soon about this year’s Event!
