The program aims to provide comfort and support to individuals and families during this difficult process.

Our Program

The Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program is a non-profit community-based charitable organization that has been a pillar of compassionate care to support individuals and families facing serious illnesses. Incorporated in 1993, the organization serves everyone in the Elliot Lake area; between Spragge to Spanish pending volunteer availability. Recognizing the overwhelming nature of navigating the health system while dealing with end-of-life and grief, the program aims to provide comfort and support to individuals and families during this time.

People who are part of the Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program can expect personalized care tailored to their specific needs. This can include providing volunteer service in home, hospital or long-term care. We support individuals of all cultural and spiritual backgrounds and with language barriers, including Indigenous and Francophone communities. Emotional support is offered to help individuals and their loved ones to cope with fears, concerns, and losses, all while ensuring dignity and respect throughout their palliative care journey. Over the years, the program has become a trusted resource to the community, offering care and guidance for those in need.

The program is partially funded by the Ontario Health North East and relies heavily on private donations, business and corporate donors as well as fundraising events. 

Following a careful selection, our volunteers attend a mandatory 30-hour Palliative Care Training Course, in which they receive instructions in the palliative care philosophy, skills and effective communication, coping with stress and dealing with the bereavement process. Our volunteers also receive on-going education and training to ensure top-level care is provided to anyone within the program.

Land Acknowledgement

The Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program respectfully acknowledges that the location of our office and services is within the traditional lands of Serpent River First Nation, signatory to the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850.

Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program is committed to reconciliation by offering ongoing Indigenous worldview education and training to our staff, volunteers and board members.

 

Our Mission

The Mission of the Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program is to assist clients by providing a trained, caring, friendly volunteer to support them and their family during the palliative stage of a terminal illness.

Philosophy

The Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program is a community based volunteer program that is committed to supporting quality of life to the client when active treatment directed at cure is no longer appropriate or acceptable. We approach with reverence the life, dignity, and intrinsic worth of the client, family members and other caregivers believing that they come with their uniqueness, lifestyle and beliefs. We respect the need for self-directiveness and therefore we provide supportive care, which allows active participation by those who receive it.

We believe that through this program we can assist individuals and their families to face the stages of death and dying. The volunteer is available to walk with the client and their loved ones as they deal with fears, concerns, losses and other personal needs. We believe that the volunteer provides eff­ective support to the survivors as they grieve the loss of their loved one.

Meet the Team

  • Kelly Jeffords

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Kelly’s role encompasses strategic leadership, management, and advocacy to ensure the delivery of compassionate and effective end-of-life care and bereavement support. This position involves overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing organizational goals, and fostering a supportive and empowering environment for individuals receiving care. The Executive Director works closely with the board of directors, community partners, and stakeholders to advance the mission and vision of the organization, while also managing budgetary and fundraising efforts to sustain and expand services.

  • Carolyn Drew

    COORDINATOR OF VOLUNTEERS

    This role supports clients and their families during the palliative stage of terminal illness. Responsible for receiving client referrals, conducting intakes, assessments, and creating care plans, this role involves coordinating and assigning palliative care visits between clients and volunteers. Additional duties include office administration. The Coordinator of Volunteers is integral to ensuring the delivery of compassionate care and support to individuals and families in need during a challenging time.

The Board

  • Maureen Hunt-Snow

    CHAIR

  • Rachelle Beaubien

    VICE-CHAIR

  • Rhona Guertin

    TREASURER

  • Carol Simon

    SECRETARY

  • Liz Armstrong

    DIRECTOR

  • Frank Rott

    DIRECTOR

  • Dorothy Keon

    INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR

  • Francine Quenneville

    FRANCOPHONE REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR

  • Cathy Hall

    DIRECTOR

  • David Matheson

    EX-OFFICIO
    MEDICAL CONSULTANT

Who Did This Beautiful Painting?

Cécile Sénéchal was an active volunteer for many years with the Elliot Lake Palliative Care Program.

She held various positions within the board, which included Chair, Vice Chair and Francophone Representative.  She also volunteered with palliative and bereavement clients and was a trainer for the Volunteer Program Training Course.   

As you can tell, Cécile was passionate about Palliative Care.  She had the foresight to make a recommendation to the board to hire someone with administrative skills to run the program.  Cécile was an advocate for change and wanted to see the program grow.  A former Executive Director remembers her as having a great spirit, being a good listener with a wonderful sense of humour. 

She possessed the traits of a good leader who was instrumental in helping to move the program into the successful palliative care service it is today.