Palliative Care Society News
February Death Cafe
We are inviting you to attend February's Death Cafe! A chat about life's end over coffee and cake doesn't sound like everyone's cup of tea. But could it be a way to get people talking about a subject we can't escape and is often avoided? I told some friends that I was...
Companioning Thru Grief
Covid-19 has filled our lives with isolation, anxiety and fear. No social gatherings, no hugs and our smiles are hidden behind masks. All of this is compounded when someone is grieving. We have partnered with Marianne Hartman and Marc Moncrieff to create Companioning...
January Death Cafe
What on earth is a death café?
A chat about life’s end over coffee and cake doesn’t sound like everyone’s cup of tea. But could it be a way to get people talking about a subject we can’t escape and is often avoided?
I told some friends that I was going to something called a death café – the reactions were mixed, but none was particularly positive. “Will it be full of goths?”, “How morbid”, “That’s weird.” The thing is that people don’t just find talking about death uncomfortable – they find the idea of talking about death uncomfortable. In general, we just don’t do it.
This is what inspired Jon Underwood to create the non-profit death café in 2011, based on the Swiss Café Mortel movement. As he saw it, western society has long outsourced discussions about death to doctors, nurses, priests and undertakers. The result, says Jon, is that we have lost control of one of the most significant events we ever have to face.
He suggested to various cafes in east London his idea of setting up a place to go and talk about death, but there were no takers. So the first death café in the UK was in Jon’s own house in Hackney and was run by his mother, Sue Barsky Reid, a psychotherapist.
It was a great success and interest grew, leading to the events, which are usually about an hour long, popping up in a range of venues from cafes and private houses to a cemetery and a yurt. The premise was simple: people go along, drink tea, eat cake and discuss death: not to be morbid, just to raise awareness and to “help people make the most of their (finite) lives”.
link to complete article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/22/death-cafe-talk-about-dying
Come join our local Death Café on Wednesday and see what it is all about!
Virtual Pen Pal Program 2020
GPPCS started our Virtual Pen Pal Program on Mar 17th, in hopes to support palliative clients for 2 weeks while attempting to flatten the Covid-19 curve. Well, 42 weeks later we are still in isolation & our Volunteer Pen Pal Program is going strong! Letters are...
2020 Memory Tree
HELP US FILL OUR 2020 Memory Tree WITH LOVE AND MEMORIES! Here's how to participate: Post in comments below or email hope@gpcare with your memory to add to the tree! Volunteers will copy your memories onto cards & hang them on the tree Watch the memories grow as...
Companioning Thru Grief
What if...On December 1st, we all teamed up to ensure our community has access to FREE individualized grief supports in our area. Together, we can! On December 1st, we are asking you to give a few dollars in support of our $5000 goal. You can help launch this new...
Thank you Stitch Club of Grande Prairie!
We received a beautiful donation of shawls for our Comfort Care Bags from the Stitch Club of Grande Prairie! They donated 4,547 items into our community this year! They are seeking yarn donations, if you can help contact Anne @...
International Day of Older Persons!
Today is International day of Older Persons! Take the time today to call an older person and hear their story.https://youtu.be/IfziND3eE28 #palliativecare #compassionatecommuinties #seniors #changethewayyouthinkofage #gp
September Death Cafe
Join us on September 30th via Zoom!
Join us on October 19, 2020 for our AGM.
Learn more about Palliative Care in the North! GPPCS will be hosting its 2020 Annual General Meeting virtually this year and we invite you to join us on Monday, October 19, 2020, from 5:00 - 6:00 pm MT.Contact executive@gpcare.ca to join the virtual Annual General...