Hospice - The Care Closet

2006-08 - by Susan McIver - Patti Skinner of Penticton has been helping both the terminally ill and those with special needs for many years. In 1982, two years after she and her family returned to Penticton from Whitehorse, Patti took the hospice training course. For the next ten years she worked as a volunteer with terminally ill people and their families. "Often we'd sit with a dying person when family members couldn't be present. Sometimes we were the only company a dying person had," Patti said. She still meets the families of people with whom she sat during their last days and hours. "It's such a privilege to be part of the final stage of someone's life," she said. Patti was the volunteer liaison on the hospice board for six years during the 1980s. "It was our vision to have a free-standing hospice building," Patti said. A dedicated board and a generous community made that vision a reality in 1998 with the opening of Moog & Friends Hospice House. In 1990, Patti gave up her hospice duties when she became the supervisor of a group home for four challenged adults. "My hospice experience helped me care for the residents because I was comfortable being with people who couldn't verbalize," said Patti who quickly learned to communicate with the residents in other ways. Patti fondly remembers the parties for the residents of all four group homes in Penticton. "Those folks would have so much fun They would be up dancing, alone or together and soon they'd have us up dancing with them," Patti said. After leaving her position with the group home in 2002, Patti again joined the hospice board, a position she still holds. Patti's role on the hospice board is to liaise with the board of the Care Closet Thrift Store on which she also sits as member and co-chair. The Care Closet located at 574 Main Street in Penticton raises funds through the sale of donated clothing, books and house wares, including linens and small appliances. The proceeds are divided equally between the Penticton and District Hospice Society and the Medical Foundation and Hospital Auxiliary at Penticton Regional Hospital. "Hospice uses its funds mostly for patient comfort, a grand piano, gardens and stained glass windows, and to help staff attend conferences and workshops," Patti said. The Care Closet is operated by two paid staff and approximately 60 volunteers. Patti spends an average of three days a week at the store in a supervisory capacity and running the cash register. "We're always looking for volunteers and donations If you can help, drop by the store 10:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Saturday," Patti said. The Care Closet has its roots in hospice. In the early 1980s, the husband of a deceased lady who had been visited by Della Volden, a hospice volunteer, gave Della his wife's expensive clothing to sell to raise money for hospice. Della quickly saw the potential of generating funds through selling donated goods and set up shop in her basement. Within a few years, the store was operating out of its current location. Patti also visits the ill and frail through the Penticton United Church's pastoral care program. Twice a week she volunteers in a swim program for special needs children and adults. Patti also swims herself several times a week and is a keen walker. Her past volunteer activities include those associated with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Red Cross and the mobile mammogram van.

 

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