The Shuswap Hospice Society has a new executive director leading palliative care in the region after her own experiences led her to this career.
“We all experience loss, those are the realities of life, and those experiences have drawn me into this line of work,” RoseMary Fordyce said on just her second day on the job. “I’m looking forward to working in this area that has such an impact on people’s lives. As I’m learning, ‘death ends a life, not a relationship’.”
Fordyce, who moved here from the Yukon in 2021, has previous experience working in different levels of government – municipal, provincial and First Nations – as well as non-profit organizations, so she thinks this role will be a good fit and use of skills from those past pursuits.
The job, she said, will entail working with the board to provide leadership and enact their directions, while also fostering partnerships with other groups involved in palliative care and the community as a whole. Fordyce also said she and the board are looking to do more outreach to let the community know what services hospice provides, as she said a lot of people don’t know what supports are available to them. That includes grief and bereavement support, compassionate care and numerous programs and services that help serve children, adults, individuals and families.
“It’s all centred around helping people live their very best lives all the way until the end,” she said, adding that that is made possible by the volunteers. “There are a lot of dedicated volunteers in this organization, so I’m looking forward to hearing from them and working with them.”
They always need more, however, and new members are welcome to attend the organization’s annual general meeting in the boardroom of the hospice office at 781 Marine Park Drive on Tuesday, March 26. Doors open at 5 p.m. followed by the meeting at 6 p.m. To ensure seating, anyone interested in attending can RSVP to programs@shuswaphospice.ca.
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