“This place became a sanctuary… I could know that everything was being taken care of, and I could just enjoy my wife for that month.” – Faces of Hospice- John
The Prince George Hospice Society is making a strong impression with a series of videos showcasing the ‘Faces of Hospice Care’.
Volunteers, staff, and people with family in hospice care share their stories in the deeply emotional videos.
Donna Flood says the idea came about shortly after she became Executive Director for the Hospice Society.
“People kept asking ‘Oh, are you the new face of hospice?’ And after that, I thought there are so many faces that tell the story of what hospice is, and that’s where we sort of got the idea to raise the profile of hospice by telling the stories of why people appreciate it.”
With the help of Jason Hamborg from 6ixSigma, the up-close-and-personal videos are providing an outlet for many people.
“I’ve had people come forward and ask if we can do videos of them so they can tell their stories, so it’s created a venue for people to come and share.” says Flood, “Some of them are more drawn towards grief and our bereavement counselling and dealing with life after somebody dies… I also get a lot of call from nurses who watch the videos and are surprised about what it could be like to nurse at hospice.”
The Society’s increased presence on social media is certainly getting the word out there.
Flood noted several references to the Hospice Society on the Facebook page ‘Hell Yeah Prince George’, which promotes positive goings-on in the community.
More donations have come hand-in-hand with more awareness.
“The government only funds about 46% of what we do, so we rely on the generosity of the community. What’s nice is that all money donated to the Hospice Society stays in Prince George.”
The Society says they will continue posting new ‘Faces of Hospice Care’ videos in the future.
You can view them on YouTube or on the Prince George Hospice Society’s Facebook and website.
“(My favourite part of) The hospice house has the be the people… not to necessarily help, but listen to. You’re just here to have an open heart. I see the hospice house as a place for caring. I don’t see it as a place for people to die. I dont.” – Faces of Hospice- Seamus