6 minute read
Living with dying
Living with dying and one doctor’s passion to bring Saskatoon its first residential hospice
By Maria Ryhorski
“We've had weddings on our unit. We've had birthdays, holiday parties, anniversaries, baptisms, Sask. Roughrider parties, and even a tattoo party. We go out of our way to try and make special events important and fun.”
Dr. Vivian Walker is radiant as she describes what makes her chosen path so meaningful to her. The wall behind her is papered with photos and thank-you cards from past patients and families. The love and joy in this space is palpable and defies expectations of what many would associate with death and dying. And yet, this is the field she has chosen – “the coat that fits me well in this season” as she is fond of describing it.
Dr. Walker is the medical director of Saskatoon's palliative care program. She stands on the shoulders of the remarkable physicians who have held this role before her and is also one of the persistent voices behind bringing the city its first residential hospice. Despite the fact that her patients are often in the last season of their life, she insists that palliative care is about life, not death – and not just surviving or enduring but about finding peace and meaning in the time that is left.
“People ask, ‘How can you do that work? Isn't it depressing?’” she reflects with a smile and understanding for the misconception. “It is a privilege to be alongside people as health changes and to help make life still rich and fun and storied as best we can.”
“Yes, there is sorrow. There is sorrow in many things of our life – life isn't without pain – but it doesn't have to be that the sorrow swamps you. The sorrow can be held with the joy. They go side by side. They can live in the same house.”
That much is evident as I walk through the palliative care unit at St. Paul’s Hospital. Renovations are underway but the temporary walls that line the hall swirl with colourful murals painted by volunteers, family members and even patients. The kitchen is stocked with tea and coffee and the fridge is full of ice cream, popsicles, Ensure, yogurt, and cold drinks as snacks for patients. I’m told the ward is frequently filled with the smell of fresh-baked cookies, courtesy of the unit’s volunteers. The lounge room has couches, books, puzzles, cards, and a children’s area. Nestled in the corner, two glass angels honour those who have recently died.
“I think that this attitude of ‘there's nothing more we can do’ when an illness becomes terminal, is kind of nonsense,” Dr. Walker says. “Hopefully we can always show up and bring ourselves full-on to the work that palliative care is and has always been. Care that relieves symptoms whether physical, emotional, social or spiritual. Care that supports the individual to live as fully as possible in the time they have left.”
The next step in providing comprehensive end-of-life care for the people of Saskatoon is building the city’s first residential hospice – the Hospice at Glengarda. This 15-bed freestanding hospice will be the first of its kind in Saskatoon and will provide a home-like environment where individuals approaching death can live the last days or weeks of their life with their needs looked after and their family welcomed and supported.
There are currently two organizations in Saskatoon that focus on supporting individuals at end-of-life and the care they provide is distinct but complementary to the Hospice at Glengarda. Prairie Hospice Society is a grassroots community organization that matches specially trained volunteers with individuals who are facing end-of-life, to provide companionship and non-medical support in the comfort of individuals’ own homes. Sanctum Care Group supports people living with HIV; its programs include a transitional care home and hospice where individuals with HIV who are nearing end of life receive the care they need in an environment of support and acceptance.
The Hospice at Glengarda will fill a long-standing and significant gap in end-of-life care in Saskatoon, by providing a physical space – a home-away-from-home – where individuals will receive the medical, psychosocial and spiritual care that they need to be able to live the time left as fully as possible.
Hospice is the standard of care in many parts of the world and Dr. Walker became acquainted with it while doing palliative care training in the U.K. There has been a 15-year plus movement to bring a residential hospice to Saskatoon. Recently the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation spearheaded this effort, launching the $20-million Close to Home campaign.
“I think people often want to stay at home and they don't realize that it takes a small army to care for someone as illness advances,” Dr. Walker says. “When it comes to hands on care and getting to that stage – one person can't do it on their own. Certainly an elderly spouse trying to care for their loved partner, or sandwich-generation adults still working and perhaps raising their own families, can't do it on their own. So hospice is the right care. It's a surrounded care. The family gets to be family again.”
Dr. Walker is overwhelmed when she reflects that this dream will soon become a reality. The campaign met and exceeded its fundraising goal on May 12, 2020.
“I'm just so grateful for the generosity of Saskatoon people and area that have stepped up and said, ‘Yes, hospice will be a good thing for our city, for our neighbours, friends, and even ourselves.’ ”
“I believe that hospice will provide the kind of care that will help people continue to live and tell their life story, and help them to prepare for their final goodbye.”
With funding secure, construction on the Hospice at Glengarda is moving smoothly ahead, despite challenges associated with COVID-19. Dr. Walker hopes that the hospice will also be a place where family physicians in the community who provide palliative care will feel welcome to continue providing care to their patients within its walls.
Dr. Walker will carry memories of her patients with her always. In her own words, “Every single week I go home with stories that are rich, meaningful and help me ‘not to sweat the small stuff’, to be grounded in my own life and in my own enjoyment of today.”
One that comes to mind is of Gord, a young father who was diagnosed with advanced cancer on his birthday. He volunteered to become the face of the Close to Home campaign in an effort to make sure that in the future, families like his would be embraced by the holistic care of hospice.
Another is Amanda, a young patient, health-care provider and lover of music.
“She was amazing.” Dr. Walker reflects pointing to the beautiful face smiling out from a photo on her wall. “We were so privileged to have this young woman teach us about her living and her dying as we cared for her. She was so feisty!”
Dr. Walker smiles back at her. “And it's that kind of person’s story that changes me.”
“At the end of the course, the disease label means very little. The story is really all about – who is this person? What and who do they love? What is most important to them? What are they worried about? All those big questions that I think you and I would like to have as part of our health-care journey too when the time comes. I know I will.” ◆
