The Silent Angels of Acclaim
By Peter Mitchell
They are ordinary people but they perform small miracles every day. They don’t seek glory; they don’t seek fame; they don’t seek the media spotlight. They are the Silent Angels of Acclaim.
Every morning at 7:30 Joe receives a telephone call from Amanda through our Tele-Touch reassurance service. For 10 years they built a daily routine until one day, Joe didn’t answer.
Amanda immediately summoned help. Joe’s building manager entered the apartment to discover Joe had fallen during the night. Joe was taken to hospital, and after a brief period of recuperation, returned home, grateful for the assistance and peace of mind that Amanda provided.
As Joe explains, “I was lying on the floor for hours and I couldn’t get up on my own. When I heard my phone ring at the time my volunteer calls, and then heard the repeat calls, I knew that help would come.”
Acclaim’s Angels do more than provide assistance in times of crisis; they build relationships. Glenda, 90, has built a solid friendship with Norma, 75, through our Friendly Visiting Program, much to the relief of Glenda’s daughter Jane.
“I am disabled and cannot visit that often,” Jane explains. “Norma not only takes her to appointments and shopping trips, but will sometimes pop in to give my mum a potted flower just to brighten the day. When my mum was hospitalized, Norma took her to the hospital and upon her discharge, waited until I arrived with my friends to pick her up. They have developed a very good friendship. My mother treasures that as otherwise she might be a very lonely individual and her quality of life would definitely have decreased.”
Jim, a former RCMP officer, and Mike, a retired minister, have forged a similar rapport thanks to our Special Steps Program. This connection has blossomed beyond the client and volunteer bond to incorporate their wives, and they often socialize as couples.
“Mike is the only male person my husband has in his life and he has made a tremendous difference to us,” says Rose, Jim’s wife. “We both feel refreshed after he has left because his humour makes us laugh. Our lives are very difficult and this laughter brings us relief.”
Elsa provided nursing services for Acclaim for 16 years before being diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension. Thanks to Hospice Visiting, two volunteers help her stay connected to the real world through her gardening, and to the virtual world of the Internet so she can keep in touch with her grandchildren and friends.
“My volunteers help me maintain my extracurricular activities, and they are my chance to say anything I want about anything I want. I can tell them when I have a bad day or how I am feeling. They are my sounding boards.”
Tracey and Tim are caring for her father Stuart at home and Acclaim’s Alzheimer Day Program not only supports Stuart, but provides them with some much needed relief from the full time job of home care.
Tracey explains. “We love Dad and are glad that we can keep him at home with us, but we also love the program because it allows us those moments of relief where we can spend time with just each other, get some work done or take a nap without a baby monitor beside the bed.”
At our Bereavement Centre located in Acclaim’s Oakville headquarters at 2370 Speers Road, our volunteers also provide support to those coping with the loss of a loved one. Through one-to-one sessions, support groups or recommendations from our resource centre, our Angels provide a guiding light through grief's bewildering fog.
"We want people to know we are there during the rough times," says Anne King, Director, Community Support Services. "We want people to know they can call."
"We want people to know we are there during the rough times," says Anne King, Director, Community Support Services. "We want people to know they can call."
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Acclaim Health and Community Care Services is a non-profit, charitable organization providing quality health care services to the Halton regions
