THE PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS

               By Dr. Brendan Cavanaugh

 

 

he Pilgrim’s Progress is a class bulletin, which The Pilgrim Project (TPP) or Pilgrim tries to post and update a few times during the program. It is an informal publication. Any suggestion regarding its content is welcome.

LOG OF PILGRIM 53 AND 54

Week 1: (53)

Tuesday, February 8, 2005: Introduction

Pilgrim 53 began downtown at the TDH offices Tuesday evening. Four people showed up for the first discussion: a physiotherapist, a fashion designer, and English Literature major, and a Psychologist. They heard about Pilgrim from an active Pilgrim volunteer, from one of Pilgrim's ads in the Mirror and Gazette newspapers as well as from the Internet Website. There is a range of age and experience. It is likely to prove to be an interesting group to teach.

Week 1:(54)

Wednesday, February 9, 2005: Introduction

Pilgrim (54): The West Island Group, began at the Dorval offices on Wednesday evening with a registration of eight. This group contains an engineer, a professional salesman, a homemaker and mother (of three teens), a counseling psychologist, a CEGEP counseling psychologist, and a physiotherapist. They found Pilgrim through church bulletins, newspaper notices, the website, and personal referrals Since some of the volunteers have hands on work experience with the kind of patients the project serves, they have their own most welcome insights to contribute.

Week 1: Tuesday and Wednesday, February 8 and 9, 2005: History

The two classes began in step with each other. We briefly covered the History of Caregiving,(broadest perspective) the History of the Hospice Movement (broader perspective) and the History of The Pilgrim Project (broad perspective) - in descending order of breadth.

A New Development: Using the Website

The format for this session of Pilgrim (Pilgrim 53 and 54) departs from the previous way things have been done. Originally, this training program was an academic year long. Circumstances forced a division into two separate programs, but each was still 12 weeks long. In response to oblique requests from the volunteers, the training was reduced from twelve to ten evenings. And now we are trying to reduce it to 7 weeks plus two practical seminars by the Social Worker.

It is the position of Pilgrim that volunteers really cannot be trained to care about other people. To have that willingness to reach out and care for people outside one's own intimate circle is a feature of personal maturity. It is also recognized that these people are a limited and non-renewable community resource. Caring cannot be taught; caring for others requires an internal decision, an act of the human will; has to be acquired through personal growth. But people with that orientation and level of maturity can be taught some techniques, and they can be presented with appropriate information, which, as mature individuals, they have to think about themselves and gradually integrate it into their own way of doing things.

Thus the purpose of this 'Training program' is to provide all the volunteers of The Pilgrim project with a common background, including both techniques and information.

The problem was how to convey some fair statement of the information Pilgrim has acquired over its nearly thirty years existence and how to expose volunteers to some training basic techniques and still do it within a reasonable timeframe in this busy world to people who want to care for others. 

When Pilgrim began, the culture was not quite ready to exploit the Internet in the service of education and support. Today, in 2005, it is now ready. Whereas only one or two volunteers even had computers thirty years ago, now all the volunteers have and use the Internet and email. Things have changed, and so has Pilgrim

The intention, then, is to put up on this Website all the material that is covered in the classes. The idea is that the classes will still offer a briefer presentation of the information and will still offer instruction in the basic techniques. Nothing fully replaces the student/teacher relationship. And all the volunteers will be encouraged to refer to and to read the material on this Website.

There will be two levels of information. Each section will have a summary view at the beginning of the page in addition to the full text. For those who really do not want to know the details, the summary will at least provide a general overview. The full text will follow for those who really do want to understand the background and the details of what they are doing.

We will see if this new format works. - Brendan Cavanaugh February 2005

In this first week the lecture is on history, the History of Caregiving, the History of the Hospice Movement and the History of the Pilgrim Project. The material for these histories are in the process of being edited and will be posted on this Website in the links listed in the course outline.

Week 2: Tuesday and Wednesday, February 15 and 16, 2005: Medical

Week 2 for Pilgrim 53 and 54 have remained synchronized.

The first point to get across to the volunteers is that there is a self-selection that goes on by patients. The empirical fact is that primarily patients suffering from Cancer and secondarily patients and their families suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's and AIDS seek the support of Pilgrim volunteers. Very small numbers of people suffering from other illness ask for Pilgrim support. Not only Pilgrim experiences this pattern of patients. In a national Canadian survey Pilgrim did several years ago, the self-selective character of patients seeking the service of supportive volunteers reflected the same pattern.

It is Pilgrim's conviction that it is very helpful for volunteers to have some understanding of the illnesses their patients might have as well as some concrete and practical awareness of the medical, psychological, and social service responses that are available to them. In general, Pilgrim thinks, people function better when they are well informed.

The task of this week was to present intelligible overviews of the biology of Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's and AIDS. The lecture includes descriptions of the major treatment modes and coping mechanisms from the persepctive of the patient. the details can be found at the approrpriate link in the training outline.

In the discussion this week the volunteers raised the philosophical question (relevant to Alzheimer's) concering the position some people take regarding their deteriorating parents, viz. "That is no longer my mother. She does not know me. I do not know that person. I am not going to come back (to the residence or nursing home) My mother does not exist any more." They wondered if the relationship between a parent and child can be dissolved just because the functional personality of the parent is destroyed by the disease. They pointed out that in the reverse situation, the parent did accept and tolerate the the immature personality of the child for many years. No parent ever claimed that the child was not theirs becasue the baby did not recognize them as its parents. Does inconvenience justify abandonment?

Week 3: Tuesday and Wednesday, February 22 and 23, 2005: Psychological

The goal of week three is to explain to the volunteers of Pilgrim 53 and 54 the psychological and fucntional character of objective Loss, and it subjective response: Grief. In that context the classes are given an brief outline of the functional interelationship of some of the major human emotions. The techique that is stressed is the critical importance of "Active Listening" and its key features: putting the right words to losses and feelings. The volunteer is shown ways in which to convey the sense that "I can see that you realize that I actually have recognized and understood what you are feeling" The axiom used to express this task of showing the other person that their feelings are recognized is "Feelings First; Facts Second".

Week 4: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 1 and 2, 2005: Philosophical

Week 5: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 8 and 9, 2005: Philosophical

Week 6: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 15 and 16, 2005: Spiritual

Week 7: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 22 and 23, 2005: Social Service

Week 8: Tuesday and Wednesday, March 22 and 23, 2005: (extra week if needed)

In addition, Rachel Hollinghead, SW offers two practical seminars. Their dates will be announced.

Handout Materials

The standard materials for the Pilgrim Training program will be handed out at the beginning of the program. The materials are free.

The materials include:

1 A text: Family Hospice Care: Pre-planning and Care Guide, by Harry van Bommel.

This text is provided to you as a gift from the Saint Elizabeth Health Care Foundation and the ancient Military and Hospitaler Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. Please read pages vii and viii for further information.

2. A folder to keep your paper in:

A copy of the attendance list.

A copy of The Pilgrim Project Training Course Outline

A donation form.

4. On the Pilgrim Website at: www.pilgrimproject.ca

A copy of this The Pilgrims’ Progress

Text for the classes, week-by-week.

Donations

The Pilgrim Project runs on a very small budget. It has an operating grant from Centraide. But the fact is that is has a very hard time making ends meet. If, at the end of, or even during the Training Program, you feel that the course deserves support, and are in a position to help, we will be very grateful for a donation. As a Quebec registered non-profit organization, we will issue an official tax receipt for any monies donated to The Pilgrim Project. A donation form has been placed inside your handout folder.

Evaluation

We have an abiding interest in trying to maintain a high level of teaching in Pilgrim. That has led us to develop an evaluation form that we will offer to you during and towards the end of the program. We will appreciate any constructive criticism that you might care to make.

Refreshments

The variation in people’s preferences and our limited budget makes it awkward to provide snacks for our training session. But please feel free to bring your own.

Break

Theoretically there is supposed to be a break around 8 o’clock. But in reality the teacher tends to forget it. So, if eight o’clock comes and goes and there is no sign of a let up from him, please make the fact known and he will stop.

Attendance

Although the program is a community service and free to its volunteers 9thanks to Centraide), it is also a serious endeavor. Attendance will be taken at each session for the sake of The Pilgrim’s Project yearly report to Centraide. But, if you are not going to attend a particular session or even if you decide not to continue the course, we would greatly appreciate it if you would call Pierre Vaillancourt at The Pilgrim Project offices in Dorval (514-633-9315) and tell him of your temporary or permanent absence.

Parking

There is ample parking for both the downtown location (parking lot on the side of the building) under the auspices of TDH Canada, inc. at 2420 Lionel Groulx, Montreal (Lionel Groulx Metro) and at the west island location, Doval’s Betty Russell Volunteer Center (parking in the back of the building).

Discussion

The program is not a free-for-all discussion; it is a series of lectures. However, comments and interjections, questions and personal opinions are all welcome. Nevertheless, in the interest of getting through the material, please accept, with good grace, the fact that the teacher has a certain amount of material that has to be covered within a limited amount of time.

Language

Currently the program is only given in English. Pilgrim offers the course in French, when their is a sufficient number of registrations.

The Door

At both locations the street door has to be locked after we have all arrived unless there is another group meeting in the building. If you should arrive late and the door is locked, please call the cell (919-7689).

Cell Phone

A cell phone is available for good cause. The number is: (514) 919-7689. You can give that number to anyone who might need to reach you during class for a serious reason.