Ready to assist new volunteers interested in Care Partners of Cook County are Clinical Coordinator Jeanette Lindgren and Program Director Kaye Grindland.
In 2006 a hopeful group of medical care professionals, clergy, and interested citizens gathered to discuss the possibility of collaborating with St. Mary’s Hospital to bring a hospice program to the county. The partnership did not come to fruition, but what did come to be—Care Partners of Cook County—has become a critical piece of the health care in our community. Care Partners is offering community members an opportunity to be part of the care it offers. Volunteer training will be held Tuesdays and Wednesdays, October 25 – 26 and November 1 – 2, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at North Shore Hospital.
What does Care Partners do?
Care Partners’ mission is to enhance end-of-life and palliative (comfort) care and expand services to the frail elderly in Cook County through a communitybased approach. To fulfill that mission, RN Jeanette Lindgren, the Care Partners clinical care coordinator, meets with the physician of the person needing care and helps the client find the community resources he or she needs. Members of the local clergy work with Care Partners to provide spiritual support. One of the most critical components of Care Partners is its volunteers—the people who share the gift of their presence and companionship with those on the journey of aging or serious illness.
Care Partners Program Director Kay Grindland explains, “Volunteers provide companionship in the client’s home, at the Care Center, or the hospital. Volunteers provide a compassionate presence at end of life, ongoing friendly visits, phone check-ins, or caregiver respite.”
Grindland said there are currently about 18 active volunteers, which has been enough to meet the community’s needs to date. But as the program grows, Care Partners wants to be prepared. That is why training is again being offered.
Why volunteer?
When we asked Carol Harris why she volunteers, she replied, “In a small town like this you can be asked to volunteer for any number of things. This seems like the right fit for me.”
Harris primarily offers end-oflife care. She said her role is usually just a matter of “being there.” She said sometimes a patient may not even be aware of the Care Partners volunteer’s presence. At times like that, she said, the volunteer is there for family members.
Harris notes that sometimes people say they don’t need anyone to help them but she encourages clients and families to consider accepting what Care Partners has to offer.
“Sometimes we can be more objective and can initiate discussion about what is happening. Or we can give a caregiver a chance to get away for a little bit,” said Harris.
While talking about the people she helps, Harris hesitates on the definition of patient. “When we see people for two years, they are not patients. They are friends,” she said.
Asked if it is hard when the end of life comes, Harris said yes, but added, “It’s an honor to be with families as they make their journey.”
Another Care Partners volunteer, Bea Sorenson, provides companionship and respite care. Companionship care, she explained, is as easy as spending time with an elderly person who benefits from regular visits from a caring person.
She also offers respite care for the partner of a person suffering from dementia, giving that person the chance to do errands and just have some time to herself. Sorenson underwent palliative care training, but she said she feels she already had some training because her husband had Alzheimer’s disease. That is part of the reason she now volunteers. “For me it’s extremely rewarding. And, it’s a way to give some payback for all the ways people helped me when I was dealing with our situation.”
Asked what she would say to someone who was thinking of taking the training, Sorenson said, “I would say they would learn and grow through the program. They would benefit greatly.”
Ongoing support
Both Harris and Sorenson credited RN Jeannette Lindgren with doing a great job matching families and volunteers. They said Lindgren and Program Director Kay Grindland are always available to offer support to volunteers as well. There are bi-monthly meetings on various topics related to palliative care. “There is group support at those meetings,” said Sorenson.
Harris added that there are many reasons—and ways—to support Care Partners. She noted that the organization could use help with fundraising or administrative matters. And, she said, the commitment is for whatever time you are able to give.
If you would like to learn more or want to sign up for the fall volunteer training, contact Grindland at (218) 387-3788. Preregistration is required.
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