Creating connections

For Warren Lament, volunteering with St. Joseph’s Palliative Care and Veterans Care Programs was all about creating connections. Whether he was helping to adjust a patient’s television, playing a card game or chatting about sports or movies, he wanted to make each person’s care journey better.

Lament began his volunteer experience at St. Joseph’s in early 2024 – joining the more than 260 volunteers at Parkwood Institute. With a biomedical sciences and business background, he is hoping to embark on a career as a physician. But with no clinical background, he wanted to immerse himself in a care environment and challenge himself to experience the emotional aspects of health care.

While Lament felt quite comfortable with a wide range of tasks on his to-do list during his shifts, he admits that he found conversations with some patients a bit more challenging – especially those going through end-of-life care.

“In Palliative Care, it can be difficult to walk into a patient’s room knowing their circumstances and make conversation,” Lament says.

Lament wasn’t alone.

Leaders of the Volunteer Program have seen many people struggle with interpersonal interactions.

“We were finding that many of our volunteers were unprepared for their volunteer role on the unit (what they would see and do), and this training provides additional information to make the volunteers feel more comfortable, says Tracy Drenth, Manager, Volunteer Services.

That’s what inspired Drenth and Randa Kristensen, Volunteer Services Associate, to consider offering The Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care: Core and Enhanced Education course to volunteers.

They turned to St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation for a grant to support the course, making it available to all new volunteers. Thanks to the Colonel Samuel, Frances & Minnie Lerner Endowment for Volunteer Development, the funds were made available for this new opportunity. The endowed fund was established by the Lerner family recognizing the volunteer leadership Samuel Lerner, his mother Minnie and his wife Fran provided at Parkwood for almost 80 years.

The course, which is called the Fundamentals Core program, guides learners to a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of various team members within the palliative care unit. They gain insight into the importance of effective communication and effective team function while supporting patients and their families on the palliative care unit. Volunteers develop comfort in discussing all aspects of dying and death. They also become more aware of the various aspects of disease management, physical, psychological, social, spiritual, end-of-life care, death management and loss and grief – all of which impact patients and families on the palliative care unit.

To date, 31 volunteers have taken the course and it is now mandatory for all new volunteers.  

“Not everyone knows how to manage their emotions related to death and dying and grief or the various stages of it,” says Kristensen. “It can take a toll on a volunteer and this course helps them to understand how to work with patients and helps volunteers to grow professionally.”

Lament found the course, which was offered virtually, very helpful. He says that the material which outlined the elements of care, care challenges in dying, handling family and challenges with family members as well as conflict situations was very pertinent to his work as a volunteer. But he says the opportunity to hear and learn from colleagues also taking the course was especially meaningful.  

As the course progressed, he found himself applying his learnings and grew more comfortable with his responsibilities. And it’s something he will continue to work on.  

"Finding the right words when talking about death with patients has been challenging, and it is an area I continue to grow in. I know I will not always have the right words to say, but I will be there to support them,” Lament added. 

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