For Veronica Osborn, service is a way of life.

After a rewarding 37-year career with BC’s provincial government and leadership of a long-term care hospital foundation, she chose to continue to serve the community through volunteer work.

“I’ve always been very intentional about the causes and organizations I support,” says Veronica.

Supporting since 2014, Veronica has volunteered in many different roles at Our Place including teaching resume writing, serving meals, answering the phones, and sometimes just being available for a chat over coffee. Her consistency means she has built strong relationships with Our Place Family Members, many of whom she remains close with today.

As she continued to work with the organization and saw the incredible commitment to each and every individual that comes through our doors, Veronica thought to herself “where and how can I be of greatest service?”

It was in posing this question that she became aware of just how committed Our Place is to the people we serve. Veronica was approached by the coordinator of Our Place’s 55+ program, Salome Waters, to discuss putting her experience serving the needs of a long-term care hospital to use.

Seniors are a particularly vulnerable group, and one of the fastest growing groups we serve as more and more seniors on fixed incomes are pushed out of affordable living. And for those without stable support systems, it is easy to slip through the cracks and languish in isolation.

“These people have worked all their lives, raised families and kept homes, and now can’t afford to eat and remain healthy,” says Veronica.

Thanks to the strong relationships Our Place has built in the community, Salome is quickly informed when an Our Place Family Member is admitted to a hospital or long-term care facility and no longer able to attend 55+ group meetings.

But, they are not left alone – visitation is set up to continue to support them. Veronica, Salome, and other members of the team visit Family Members every week, often to bring a small comforting gift like a favourite treat or sometimes just to chat. For those facing end-of-life, even just having a hand to hold provides the dignity and emotional support so dearly needed.

“We are usually their only visitor,” says Salome.

“He likes a ham and cheese sandwich, on white bread. She likes grapes,” Veronica says of one couple she visits weekly, who choose to remain anonymous. Husband and wife have recently been separated to different facilities and at this time, Veronica is their only visitor.

With a medical system already stretched very thin, it can be easy for a person to be pushed aside if they aren’t experiencing an emergency. In these conditions, seniors can deteriorate quickly.

And it’s not just seniors who receive visitation. The overwhelming majority of people seeking help from Our Place come through our doors due to chronic physical and mental conditions, and a lack of support. Whether they are in hospital for an extended period of care, or facing end-of-life, no one deserves to be alone.

This holiday season, Veronica, Salome, and other team members will be making special visits to Family Members in care to bring them some holiday cheer. You can provide for them, and every person living in Our Place shelters and housing facilities this year with a gift today.

Please give generously and help ensure we can meet the needs of every person in our shared community.