Roger Marple Volunteer Award - Meet Lee!

 

The Roger Marple Volunteer Award has been established to recognize a volunteer who exemplifies the qualities and efforts Roger Marple embodied in his daily life and his work on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society and those living with dementia.  

This year’s Roger Marple Volunteer Award Recipient is Lee Rinne. Lee has been making a difference in the palliative care sphere and leading a team of volunteers on a specific dementia care pilot project with the Palliative Care Society of the Bow Valley to enhance quality of life for persons living with dementia.

Meet Lee!

 

Q: How did you get involved in volunteering within the dementia space?

A: I first volunteered in palliative care in early 1988 providing mobile hairdressing services to disabled and elderly citizens in their home. They didn’t have many visitors nor did they get out a lot, due to their conditions and so we would share a cup of tea and chat or go for a short walk. Alongside my business, I also volunteered in the St. Paul’s Hospital geriatric ward, helping with activities and games with people living with dementia. This was my first experience volunteering with people living with dementia. I volunteered at the Ponderosa Adult Day Program in Kamloops 1994-1997 specifically with people living with dementia. In addition, with a few more family moves, I volunteered 1997-2000 at the Prince George Hospice, then Lions Gate Hospice ward in North Vancouver. We then moved to Calgary and from 2000-2021 I volunteered with AHS in home care elderly visits, mainly those people living with dementia. Finally, settling in Canmore in 2022, I knocked on the door of the Palliative Care Society of the Bow Valley (PCSBV) and asked, “how can I help?”. My self and another volunteer were matched with a very active woman living with dementia. The focus and emphasis was on skiing, biking and hiking with our client. To see someone stay so active until late stage was a testimonial in itself to what is possible. As we live in an ‘unique active bubble’ in the Bow Valley it became clear more attention needed to be placed on preserving the best of our clients for as long as possible, and that caregivers needed extra layer of support to ensure this as a priority. This resulted in a role being offered as Dementia Care Team Lead for the Bow Valley in the spring of 2023. Today I am proud to say we have a keen and compassionate volunteer team of specifically trained companions and deep listeners. Their superpower is to bear witness and travel alongside our clients and caregivers, with great compassion, in their journey with dementia.

 

Q: What is your favourite part of your volunteer role?

A: Education and the future of our work in the field of dementia. I see Community Education as a priority in providing workshops for the general public, friends, and families to better support those living with dementia in our neighbourhoods. Shifting the dialogue from isolation and loneliness to inclusiveness and understanding with compassion is key. The Dementia Care Team aims to partner early on in our clients’ journey, and we are encouraged by the testimonials of clients and caregivers sharing how the stream of support in the early stages, make all the difference through to end of life. We are always looking for effective ways to support with education and provide tools for our caregivers to help ease the burden of their work. This stream carries them along in such a way that their experience is one of partnership, trust and not having to walk alone.

 

Learn more by going to the next blog post.