When someone passed away at the Squamish hospice, loved one’s often used a plastic bag to move their personal belongings out of the room.
But the nurses felt the plastic bag did not meet the standard of care and support that people had come to expect from the Sea to Sky Hospice.
They met Nicole Carothers, the Sea to Sky Hospice Society’s Program Director, and came up with an idea that made the family feel more valued and protected in a moment of vulnerability.
They suggested that volunteers assist families leaving the hospice to feel more supported by sewing special bags.
Sea to Sky Hospice volunteers happily took on the project, said Carothers and one talented volunteer, Dee Brown, took the lead.
Dee, a Sea to Sky Hospice Volunteer and a Certified End of Life Doula, made a sample bag, then created a step-by-step beginner sewer tutorial so that other volunteers could support the effort.
Steph, a Whistler resident and hospice volunteer, was the first “student sewer” and found the process easy to follow.
Together they have made several bags and now plan to share the tutorial out with others who might wish to assist in this project.
“It’s nice to do something when we can’t be there in person,” says Steph.
Dr. B. Millar, Palliative Lead and Hospice Board Member, says that saying goodbye to families that hospice volunteers and staff have come to know in such an intimate way is always difficult.
“Helping them pack up and wishing them well with these discharge bags might seem like a small insignificant gesture. It’s not. It’s hugely important, because it creates a bond to let them know we are still there for them even if their loved one is gone,” she says.
Carothers, the program director, says they want families to know that the support doesn’t stop when their loved one dies.
“When and if they need it, the Sea to Sky Hospice Society is still here,” she says.
If a community member is interested in supporting this project with their sewing skills or if they have fabric that they would like to donate, please email seatosky.hospice@vch.ca
