The concept of palliative care came to Morris and Emerson, Manitoba almost 30 years ago. Palliative care is the active, compassionate care offered to individuals and families who are experiencing life-threatening and/or terminal illness.

A number of local volunteers have taken the 6-week training course to become Palliative Care volunteers, to sit with patients who are dying, to relieve caregivers for short periods of time, and to offer support for bereaved families, as well.

Our volunteer coordinator, as part of her duties, provides ongoing education sessions for the trained volunteers through guest speakers, workshops and videos.

Red River Valley Palliative Care also offers a 6-week bereavement support session each spring which often includes a regular walking portion to bring together those individuals who are experiencing a difficult loss of a loved one.

Another special time for palliative care is two Shining lights events held in Morris and Emerson each November. These memorial events involve family members in candle lighting, a memorial video and memorial tree lighting in the communities and on the grounds of our three health facilities.  Dedicated volunteers help keep these displays visible for families who have donated memorial lights.

Two beautiful palliative rooms, one in Morris Hospital, one in Emerson Personal Care Home, are available for use by the palliative patients and families as needed, during the patient's last days, weeks or months of life. In addition, two palliative care carts are available to be moved to a palliative patient's room rather than relocate a resident, for example. These are in the Morris Hospital and the Red River Valley Lodge, in Morris.

If a palliative patient chooses to die at home, the coordinator is ready to make a home visit, along with regional palliative nurses and physicians.

Also, a story from that I will mention that made me proud of the opportunity to help, happened at the Morris Hospital palliative room. A large extended family had just seen their parent die. Several small grandchildren were crying. I was able to offer them some storybooks (to keep), about a grandparent who had died, knowing this grief would be revisited and maybe the storybook would somehow console them.

Red River Valley Palliative Care was very proud to get charitable status in 2018. The paid coordinator maintains 16 hours office time per week in order to keep these programs running. 

Each summer the volunteer committee works with the coordinator to raise awareness of palliative care and fundraise through the Butterfly Golf Tournament. The Butterfly Golf Tournament was another successful event last year. Our goal of awareness seems to grow each year to include some children who either volunteer or participate, and also, palliative families who choose to join us for golf or just for supper after the tournament, plus 40-60 generous golfers, and over 100 businesses in the Red River Valley region that have chosen to support the philosophy of palliative care over the last 20 years!