The CAMROSE BOOSTER, November 16, 2021 – Page 12
Hospice grief and bereavement navigator, busy seven months By Lori Larsen
It has been seven months since Camrose Hospice Society Grief and Bereavement navigator Lori-Ann Huot took on the position with a steady pace, navigating individuals through their journey of grief. “It has been a busy seven months for sure,” said Huot. “It has gone by quickly. It seemed to be quite a seamless transition from Bill (Harder) to myself. I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect because Bill was really so much the heart of Hospice and we knew he would be terribly missed. We didn’t know how much that might impact individuals reaching out for support.” Since April, the total number of one-on-one client visits reached 313. The total amount of referrals since April includes 76 new clients and 27 returning clients, of which 23 per cent are male and 77 per cent are female. The ages of clients range from five to 91 years of age. Referrals to the Hospice are made through other service agencies within the community or individual self referrals. In the beginning, Huot’s position consisted of 20 hours per week, which has since increased to 25 hours per week in an effort to accommodate the increasing demand for grief and bereavement support. “I anticipate it will continue to increase,” said Huot, adding that COVID is playing a factor. “Individuals who are grieving the loss of someone they love and because of the isolation that even COVID creates, it is further isolating them from their regular support systems.” Huot said that grief extends beyond death loss-
es to other losses, such as milestones, celebrations, employment and connection with loved ones, which can be further compounded by the loss of a loved one. “As much as we want to pretend there is a world without COVID, it is so much central to everything we are doing.” As a grief navigator, Huot’s primary work is to assist individuals to navigate their way through grief. “Even as a grief coun-
are finding great solace in the support they are receiving through their grief journey. Karen lost her partner to cancer on May 12, 2021. “It all happened so fast. Two months from diagnosis day to the day he left this earth,” cited Karen. “I first heard about the Hospice Society from the nurses at the hospital in Daysland and at the home care place in Sedgewick. “At first, I was scepti-
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster Hospice Society of Camrose and District Grief and Bereavement navigator Lori-Ann Huot said her first seven months in the position has been very busy.
sellor or navigator, I cannot fix someone’s grief,” explained Huot. “Grief is not something we can fix. It is something we experience. And it is that experiencing that is very difficult, and that is why it can be very helpful to have someone help navigate your way through grief.” Which is exactly what Huot is doing. Individuals such as Karen (surname will remain anonymous), who summon up the courage to reach out for help,
cal. I didn’t think a counsellor would do anything for me at all. I was in such a dark place and didn’t think anyone could help me.” But Karen took a chance and booked a oneon-one session with Huot. “What a game changer. I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for her–to be able to talk to her and tell her what I was feeling and for her to tell me that all the feelings I was feeling were okay, and ‘normal’.”
Karen shared that Huot, with no bias, listened to everything she had to say without judgement. “It meant the world to me and I saw a flicker of light at the end of this ridiculously dark tunnel I felt I was in. “I am still trying to understand why things happen the way they do, because I questioned my self-worth so much. Why would God take this wonderful man away from ‘wonderful’ me? I didn’t feel so wonderful. But I can honestly say that being a part of this society has made a huge difference in my life at this time, and I am forever grateful.” Huot said it is all about the human side of loss, the stories behind those tragic moments in people’s lives and those left behind grieving. “People need to see how grief impacts individuals. Unfortunately in society, there are a lot of misconceptions around grief, that, at some point, we just get over it and go on. But we don’t. When you love a lifetime, you grieve a lifetime. Our grief softens as we learn to live with our grief. “We don’t grow up learning how to grieve,” explained Huot. “Some families of origin are very open and supportive of emotion and talking about loved ones after they die, and some families aren’t. So someone who grows up in a closed family system and doesn’t learn how to grieve, grows up as an adult not knowing how to grieve when someone they love dies.” Huot, along with all the team at the Hospice, is helping people who are going through grief to have hope. Hope for the future that the dark place in which they find themselves will begin to fill with light once again.
“Because we offer such a vast array of programs and supports, we are able to meet a lot of needs that are out there,” said Huot. “And we can only continue to offer the programming that we do because of the support of the community. Those donations that come in are so critically important for us to be able to do what we do.” Huot is in the office two days a week for one-on-one in-person appointments, but also dedicates one day a week for telephone and video appointments from her home office. She encourages anyone reaching out to contact the Hospice office and speak with Brenda Zimmel, administrative assistant, for booking appointments. According to Huot, wait times for an appointment vary at this point, averaging four to six weeks. But as soon as an individual contacts the office and it is determined that an appointment with the Grief and Bereavement navigator is needed, Huot will receive word from Zimmel and return an initial contact call to the individual within 24 hours. For more information on the programs and services offered, to book an appointment with Huot, or if you would like to volunteer or donate to the Hospice Society of Camrose and District, contact the Hospice office and speak with administrative assistant Brenda Zimmel by telephone at 780-608-0636 or email at admin@camrose hospice.com. The Hospice Office is following the government of Alberta Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) regarding in-person visits to the office.
City of Camrose manager defines role of council By Lori Larsen
Now that the dust is settling after the October 18 municipal election and the newly-elected mayor and council are getting their feet underneath them, City administration spent the past week putting them through a well thought out, detailed orientation. “I spent a week with the new council going through orientation, focusing on the need for good governance and their role in policy making,” explained City of Camrose manager Malcolm Boyd. “I also explained that the role of City manager is making sure City administration and staff follow those policies as efficiently and effectively as possible.” Boyd said that not only is the importance of good governance vital, but that council also understands
they are there to represent the good of the community as a whole. “Council has control over policies that require the City administration to treat every resident equally. We have to be careful not react to the concerns of one at the risk of impacting the service to all residents.” He also said that part of good governance is being able to educate residents on City policy and procedure. “They are being paid to have the time and expertise to understand issues and convey that to the public, as well as to educate residents on any unintended consequences,” said Boyd, citing the Land Use Bylaw as an example of detailed policy that applies to every area in the City. “Good planning is all about making sure there are compatible uses of land for everyone.”
He added that administration, as well as council, also has a big role in communication with residents. “It is all about letting people know and keeping residents informed.” Boyd stressed that the City has developed a strong team with the skills and experience needed to provide council with data required to make informed decisions. “It is our job to ensure that council is aware of the facts, constraints and consequences. Council has a tough job of being open-minded enough to be able to see both sides of issues and trying to reach a balance.” During orientation, Boyd also spent a good deal of time explaining to council the distinction between the role of council and the role of administration. “I clarified that they
(council) only have one employee, who is the City manager. So the only person they can direct is the CAO (City manager), and the opposite is also true, that the City manager only has one employer, which consists of the whole of council (not just one) as a collective. “I wanted to reinforce that a councillor cannot come in and tell City administration/staff what to do. They bring an issue to all of council and it is the collective voice of council that we listen to and follow their direction/instruction through City policy and bylaw. Council sets the rules and the City manager is the conduit of those rules to the workforce.” Boyd related that this administration is focused on creating a culture of continuous improvement and
an organization that makes data-based decisions. “We will measure and provide data to council and then ask council to make the hard decision of service levels versus budget. Council has the difficult job of balancing the needs and wants of the community against their willingness to pay for those services.” He added that these are not easy decisions and it is a tough job to balance, especially when there are residents who may have a strong interest in a specific “want” in the community. On a final note, Boyd said that the vision of City administration is to ensure that Camrose becomes the best managed city by making well-informed, databased decisions and having exceptional governance from council.
