Compassion and Care for Pilgrims Hospice

Compassion and care. These are the base reasons ‘why’ Park Memorial has been bringing the wisdom and insights of Dr. Alan Wolfelt to our community for over two decades. His gentle humour and passion for serving others as they grieve are the perfect complements to the wisdom and education that he shares surrounding the complexities and the very human experience of grief. His commitment to the highest of care echoes that of Park Memorial.

Our ‘Moments with Dr. Wolfelt’ (MWDW) events offer two different experiences: the first evening session is geared towards those who have experienced a loss and are grieving. Our families that we have served get early access to this session, and then the general public is invited to attend. We have seating for up to 800, and the room is usually comfortably full. If people come expecting an evening of 'doom and gloom', they are instead surprised to find some soft humour amid the tips and tools for maneuvering through grief and mourning after a loss. In the tradition established by our late Park Memorial patriarch, Jerry Smolyk, this session is followed by milk and cookies and a time of connection.

The next morning offers an experience for the caregivers that support those who are grieving – both professionals and lay persons. During the morning caregiver session, Dr. Wolfelt focuses his teachings on those in our community who care for both the dying as well as the bereaved. This is an opportunity for caregivers to not only ‘fill their cup’ but also to receive encouragement and insights to help them better care for the needs of those whom they serve. Both sessions with Dr. Wolfelt are accompanied by a ‘trade fair’ style gathering of local organizations where guests can ask questions and better understand the resources and grief supports that are available in our community, and how grief pertains to mental and physical health. 

This year, the caregiver’s session features a new kind of compassion and care: giving back. There is a charge of $10 per seat this year for the first time ever. Not only does this allow for a better way of assuring that those who wish to attend can do so, as less seats are tied up by those who RSVP and then don’t attend, but with all ticket purchases being donated back to Pilgrim’s Hospice, guests of this session will be part of a greater good.

We are excited to welcome our ‘MWDW’ guests for both sessions on May 10 &11, 2023. And we are equally excited to support Pilgrim’s Hospice Society. Not only does the organization offer a 12 bed, family-centred-care-setting end-of-life hospice via the Roozen Family Hospice Centre, they also offer an array of barrier-free grief support classes for the community. Here is some of the impact that their complimentary grief support programs have had in 2022:

97.5 Expressive Art Therapy Hours

245.25 Adult Group Therapy Hours (Including Drop In)

1183 Counselling Therapy Sessions

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1525.75 Hours of Support Across the Year (Group and Individual)

209 New Clients – Individual Counselling

+201 Group Clients

+107 Drop-In Clients

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517 Clients Across the Year

Our Park Memorial team has referred many of our bereaved families to the grief support programs at Pilgrims Hospice. Hopefully this small gesture of support will help their team to continue providing complimentary grief support programs to children, individuals, and families in our community.