Madawaska Valley Hospice Palliative Care

11/18/2025

When Everyone Knows Everyone: Grief Literacy in Small Towns
Today is November 18th- National Grief and Bereavement Day.

In small towns, we often say that everyone knows everyone. It is one of the things that makes rural life special. You see familiar faces at the grocery store, neighbours wave as you drive by, and people genuinely care when something happens.

But when you are grieving, that closeness can be both a blessing and a challenge. News travels fast in small communities, and sometimes it feels like everyone knows your story before you are ready to share it. Privacy can be hard to find. The questions, the reminders, even the good intentions, can sometimes feel like too much when your heart is still raw.

Still, that same closeness can hold you up when you need it most. The heart of a small town is its people, the ones who show up, who quietly help in ways that really matter. When you are grieving, those small acts of kindness can make all the difference.

Let people help. Let your neighbour take the garbage to the dump or bring in your mail. Let a friend sit beside you while you sort through bills, or show you how to pay them online if that was something your partner used to do. Let someone winterize your lawnmower or drop off a meal.

Leaning on your support network is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of resilience. Allowing others to help you, to stand beside you when you cannot stand on your own, is part of how we move through grief. It is what makes us stronger together.

That is what grief literacy is all about. It is understanding that grief does not just live inside one person, it lives in a community too. When we all learn to recognize grief and respond with compassion and practical support, we create communities that heal together.

Let us be the kind of town that goes beyond “let me know if you need anything.” Let us be a community that shows up. A community that lends a hand, checks in, and makes it just a little easier for someone to get through the hard days.

Because someday, we will all need that kind of help too.

11/17/2025

A busy day for MVHPC! Constance and Dylaina were in Killaloe presenting! Some of our other staff enjoyed a Wellness Day with Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program.

11/15/2025

E.D.I.T.H. – Expected Death In The Home

For many people, the wish is simple — to die at home, surrounded by the people and the space they love.
In Ontario, there’s a process called E.D.I.T.H., which stands for Expected Death In The Home. It’s an important piece of planning that helps make that possible.
When someone is nearing the end of life, their healthcare team can complete E.D.I.T.H. paperwork to let paramedics, police, and other first responders know that the death is expected. This ensures that when death occurs, it’s handled calmly and respectfully, without emergency response or police involvement.
Without this plan, a death at home is treated as unexpected. That can mean flashing lights, police attendance, and added distress for families at an already emotional time.
Having E.D.I.T.H. paperwork completed brings peace of mind. It allows the focus to stay on care, comfort, and being together — not on crisis.
If dying at home is important to you or someone you love, talk to your hospice nurse, doctor, or palliative care team about completing an E.D.I.T.H. plan. It’s a simple step that makes a world of difference when the time comes.

For a deep dive visit:

https://www.ontariohealthathome.ca/blobohahprod4cd80afe1b/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CW-EDITH-Protocol-EN.pdf

11/13/2025

Let’s talk about the long goodbye.
There are times when a person at the end of life lingers longer than anyone expected. They slip into an unresponsive state and stay there for days. Families sit by the bed, waiting, watching, afraid to leave for even a moment in case they miss that last breath.
It is beautiful, but it is also exhausting.
And this is where guilt quietly sneaks in.
The guilt of being desperate for sleep.
The guilt of wishing the journey would come to an end.
The guilt of feeling like you should be stronger, more patient, more present.
If you have felt this, you are not alone. This is natural for so many families. Loving someone at the end of life is tender and heavy all at once. You can want to be there for every second and still feel overwhelmed. You can love someone deeply and still wish for their suffering to be over.
Feeling this way does not mean you are giving up on them. It means you are human, and you are carrying more than anyone ever should on very little rest.
The long goodbye is one of the hardest parts of this journey. Please be gentle with yourself. Rest when you can. Step away when you need to. Your love is not measured by how many hours you sit at the bedside. It is measured by the care and devotion that carried you here in the first place.

(Photo from Gary Knowles of a sunset in Florida)

11/13/2025

Have you ever wondered why we still keep track?

11/11/2025

Today, we pause to remember and honour all those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom. On this Remembrance Day, we reflect on the courage, dedication, and selflessness of veterans, past and present.
Let us take a moment to acknowledge their service, to hold their memories close, and to be grateful for the peace and safety their sacrifices have given us.
Lest we forget.

11/10/2025

Anticipatory Grief in Palliative Care

Anticipatory grief is the kind of grief that begins before a loss happens. It can appear when someone is living with a serious illness or nearing the end of life. Both patients and families can feel it.

11/07/2025

Someone I Love is Dying in Hospice - What Should I Expect?

New book alert!

Thank you to Lucas and Gregory for sending us their excellent book. Very well done.

11/07/2025

11/05/2025

Jenna had the pleasure of guest lecturing at Bow Valley College! The topic? Grief 101 — how to build resilience and compassion, and how to support each other through difficult times.
She met over 60 students across two sessions from the Addictions and Disability Studies program. What a thoughtful and engaged group! “Thank you to everyone for your openness, curiosity, and meaningful questions. It was a joy to spend time with you and share these important conversations!”

11/03/2025

Deer Season in Renfrew County: Honouring Tradition, Grief, and the Ones Who Aren’t With Us This Year

It’s that time of year again. The mornings are cold, the coffee is strong, and the orange vests start appearing on the backroads and in the bush. Deer season in Renfrew County isn’t just about hunting. It’s about tradition. It’s about families, generations, and the stories that come out around the fire when the day’s hunt is done.

For many families, “the hunt” is a yearly ritual. Time off work, packed trucks, the same old camp, and the same group of friends who’ve been doing this together for decades. It’s a week that marks the rhythm of fall in the Valley.

But for some, this season feels different.
Maybe someone’s too sick this year to go to camp. Maybe last year was their last hunt, though no one realized it at the time. Or maybe this is the first deer season without your dad, your brother, or your lifelong hunting buddy, the one who always had the best stories or made the worst coffee.
These traditions hold deep meaning, and when someone can no longer be there, the absence can feel heavy. The camp becomes not only a place of laughter and routine but also a place where grief quietly shows up.

So how do we honour that?
Maybe it’s keeping their chair by the fire. Hanging their hat or jacket where it always was. Telling their stories out loud, even the ones everyone’s heard a hundred times. Maybe it’s taking a quiet moment before heading out, standing in the cold morning air and saying their name.

Honouring the tradition doesn’t mean pretending everything’s the same. It means carrying them with you, in memory, in ritual, and in the small moments that make the hunt what it is.

For those who are palliative or no longer well enough to make the trip, know that you’re still part of the camp. You’re in every story retold, every meal shared, every dawn that breaks over the bush. The bonds that were built over those early mornings and long days don’t fade; they shift, they soften, and they find new ways to stay alive.
To their camp members still hunting, drop in to see them in your orange, tell them they are missed or bring them a special meal prepared at the camp.

This deer season, as the trucks roll out and the wood stoves are lit, take a moment to honour those who can’t be there.
Because around here, hunting isn’t just about the deer. It’s about connection, belonging, and remembering.

Wishing the hunters a successful season and be safe out there!