Today, on Advance Care Planning Day in Canada, Chilliwack Hospice Society joins individuals and organizations across Canada in raising awareness about the importance of planning for future health care decisions. Advance care planning is more than just a document — it’s a process of thinking about your values, wishes, and beliefs, and then sharing those with the people you trust, including your health care providers.

“In B.C., over three-quarters of people agree it’s important to talk about what matters most in future health care,” says Deanna Fedorkew, Community Outreach & Education Manager at Chilliwack Hospice Society. “Yet less than half have had those conversations with their families, and even fewer with their health care team. We want to help people change that.”

What is advance care planning?

Advance care planning includes choosing a substitute decision maker — someone who knows what matters to you and can speak for you if you’re unable to communicate. In B.C., the law outlines a list of people who may be asked to make decisions on your behalf if no plan is in place. But without knowing your wishes, those decisions may not reflect what you truly want. Creating an advance care plan ensures that your voice is heard, even if you can’t speak for yourself.

Upcoming Workshops: Learn How to Create Your Plan

Chilliwack Hospice Society offers free educational workshops to help individuals and families understand the process of advance care planning and take steps toward creating their own plan. The next two-part workshop will be held:

Monday, July 15 & Wednesday, July 17
1:00–3:00 PM
Chilliwack Hospice Society – 7112 Vedder Road

These sessions are interactive and informative, designed to empower people with the knowledge and tools to begin or continue their planning conversations.

Deanna adds, “It’s not always an easy topic to approach, but it’s one of the most important gifts you can give your loved ones. Having a plan in place can ease the burden during stressful times and ensure that your care reflects your wishes.”

For more information about the workshops or to access resources about advance care planning, please contact Deanna Fedorkew at (604) 795-4660 or email deanna@chilliwackhospice.org.

Chilliwack Hospice Society is a community-based organization that helps individuals and families dealing with dying and death through support, education, and programs that promote wellness and healthy grieving.

Reflecting on what matters most in your life and how that might help guide someone in making the kinds of healthcare decisions you would want can be both helpful and decrease stress for you and your caregiver(s).

Advance care planning is a process of thinking about your values, beliefs, and wishes for future health and personal care, and sharing them with the people you trust. It can include choosing who would make care decisions for you if you cannot. Advance care planning can help you get the care that’s right for you, even if you’re unable to speak for yourself.

As an important part of life planning—like planning for education, retirement or saving for a vacation⁠—every adult in BC should engage in advance care planning. When life happens, a person’s health can change in an instant. It’s more important than ever to talk to those they trust about their values, beliefs and wishes, to prepare for a time when they may no longer be able make their own medical decisions.

According to 2021 data from the BC Centre for Palliative Care, 76% of British Columbians agree it is important to talk about what matters for the future healthcare, however less than half of those surveyed have discussed their wishes with family and still fewer (14%) have a had a conversation with a health care provider.

“We are encouraging members of the Chilliwack community to start talking about their wishes for their future care,” says Laurie McNaught, Community Outreach and Education Manager at Chilliwack Hospice Society. “These conversations are not easy ones to have, but they are very important, and there are resources and support available.”

Chilliwack Hospice Society offers free, two-part in-person workshops to help you or your parent(s) develop an Advance Care Plan, including one’s Beliefs, Values and Wishes, Temporary Substitute Decision Maker, Representation Agreement, and Advance Directive. The next sessions are scheduled for August 15 and 22 from 1:00–3:00pm at Chilliwack Hospice Society, located at 7112 Vedder Road. Pre-registration is required.

To learn more about advance care planning and a variety of educational workshops and presentations offered by Chilliwack Hospice Society throughout the year, please call (604) 795-4660 or go to www.chilliwackhospice.org

Entryway to Cascade Hospice Residence where Chilliwack Hospice Society provide free bereavement and palliative care support services to patients and their families.

Facilitated by Jennifer Dacre, Manager of Bereavement and Palliative Services, group participants met two to three times weekly through the month of September for a total of 35 hours required. Through lectures, videos, group activities, panel discussions, and guest speakers, participants learned about the history of hospice palliative care, types of grief and grieving styles, compassionate communication, and boundaries, working within family dynamics, psychosocial and spiritual care, perspectives on medical assistance in dying and pain management, supporting bereaved children and youth, complementary bereavement therapies, and prioritizing self-care.

The kitchen at Cascade Hospice Residence where patients, their families, and volunteers can get a cup of coffee or a freshly baked item.

Upon completion of Basic Hospice Training and a post-interview, 12 new individuals have begun job-shadowing existing volunteers at Cascade with the hope they will become regular client and patient volunteers themselves. Hospice volunteers are specially selected and trained individuals who have the maturity and experience to be a caring listener to a terminally ill or bereaved person or family member. Hospice volunteers are compassionate observers who bring a caring heart and an understanding approach to a stressful situation. Often our volunteers can be found sitting by the bedside of someone who is dying or bringing a cup of tea to one of their family members.

One of ten guest rooms at Cascade Hospice Residence. A beautiful quilt, handmade and donated by a member of one of several quilting guilds in Chilliwack, features prominently on the bed. We are appreciative of these incredible donations which become cherished keepsakes of family members after their loved one has died.

Chilliwack Hospice Society does not own or operate the Cascade Hospice Residence. Instead, hospice volunteers complement and work alongside the palliative health care team. Outside of the family support system, our volunteers are often the only other consistent presence in a patient’s final days. Hospice palliative care aims to relieve suffering and improve a patient’s quality of living until death.

Garden fountain and covered courtyard for Cascade Hospice Residence patients and families to relax in a quiet, outdoor space.

To learn more about Basic Hospice Training and to join the waitlist for the next course, go to www.chilliwackhospice.org/education

According to the BC Centre for Palliative Care, over three quarters of British Columbians agree that it’s important to talk about what matters most of them about their future health care, but less than half have talked with their family, and fewer still (14%) have had a conversation with a health care provider.

Advance care planning is a process of thinking about your values, beliefs, and wishes for future health and personal care, and sharing them with the people you trust. It can include choosing who would make care decisions for you if you cannot. Advance care planning can help you get the care that’s right for you, even if you’re unable to speak for yourself.

As an important part of life planning—like planning for education, retirement or saving for a vacation⁠—every adult in BC should engage in advance care planning.

When life happens, a person’s health can change in an instant. It’s more important than ever to talk to those they trust about their values, beliefs and wishes, to prepare for a time when they may no longer be able make their own medical decisions.

“We are encouraging members of the Chilliwack community to start talking about their wishes for their future care,” says Laurie McNaught, co-facilitator of the advance care planning workshops for Chilliwack Hospice Society. “These conversations are not easy ones to have, but there are resources and support available.”

Chilliwack Hospice Society will be offering free, two-part in-person workshops to help you or your parent(s) develop an Advance Care Plan, including one’s Beliefs, Values and Wishes, Temporary Substitute Decision Maker, Representation Agreement, and Advance Directive. There are two sets of sessions to choose from:

• July 18 & 25, 2022 | 1–3pm
• November 17 & 24, 2022 | 7–9pm

Registration is required as space is limited. Please call Laurie McNaught, Community Outreach and Education Manager, at (604) 795-4660 or email laurie@chilliwackhospice.org to register or request more information.

Here is what some of our clients had to say:

“Thank you, Laurie and Sue! Who knows how long we would have put this off without your help!”

“Thank you so much for helping us to get our end-of-life plans in order legally. I have booked our appointment at the end of April with the lawyer to do our wills and everything all at once. Thank you for the motivation!”

“I appreciate that your sessions made me feel better about the support I gave my mom at the end of her life and reaffirmed my actions taken and decisions made on her behalf.”

“What really was the best part for me is that you were both so caring and compassionate. This made a difficult topic easier to deal with.”