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Wellspring: A Support Centre for People Living with Cancer
Wellspring was founded in 1992 by Anne Armstrong Gibson, a Toronto lawyer and a victim of cancer. In the course of her illness she recognized personally and profoundly the lack of support within the medical system for those who receive the devastating news that they have cancer. She began to explore what kind of support was needed and eventually developed what Helen Brent, a program leader and project manager, called a hybrid approach mixing trained health care professionals with peer support groups.
Wellspring is situated at three sites in the Toronto area, the Coach House on Wellesley Street, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, and Halton/Peel in Oakville. Besidesa program of peer support there are a range of programs including journaling, music and art therapy, therapeutic touch, yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Chi, body-mind meditation, spiritual growth, and wellness strategies workshops. There are about 35 programs and all are available at no charge and without referral.
The people who come are all ambulatory cancer patients. Wellspring staff do not conduct house visits. People may be at various stages of their illness, but they are able to choose those programs which will be most beneficial at that particular time. The focus is very much on life not death, providing people with a sense of hope and encouragement.
This is where Wellspring is unique and different from palliative care and hospice organizations. The latter deal primarily with people who have a life threatening illness and a limited life expectancy. They also provide support for people in their homes or in hospitals. Wellspring provides dimensions of support which may not be appropriate for those needing palliative care. At the same time there can be overlapping, and there are times when Wellspring will recommend that a particular client seek palliative care, and they themselves will sometimes receive clients from hospice organizations. The important thing is that clients choose themselves what kind of support is best suited for their needs.
The organization is funded entirely by donations. It has a complement of about 250 volunteers serving the three sites in terms of programs, administration, and fund raising. Since its inception in 1992 it has acquired a membership of 3300 people of which about two thirds are active at any given time.
More information about Wellspring can be obtained by contacting the Coach House 416-961-1928, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre 416-480-4440, or Wellspring Halton/Peel 905-257-1988. Information can also be obtained by visiting the web site at www.wellspring.ca
The forth Wellspring to be established is situated in London, serving not only the immediate area but also a large part of south-western Ontario. It is only 7 months old and already has 100 active members, 55 volunteers for administration and peer support, and 30 professional leaders for their programs, all of which are filled.
It was started by London's Women's Christian Association, an organization that has a history of caring for the poor, the sick, and the elderly. McCormick Home and Parkwood Hospital are two institutions that they have built and operated. Wellspring is their latest endeavour to serve the community.
During my interview with Shelley Markland, the Executive Director, we focused again on the distinction between Wellspring and hospice organizations. She explained that for those involved with palliative care cure is no longer a possibility. This is not true for those who come to Wellspring. They are the newly diagnosed and are undergoing a traumatic experience that affects not only their physical life, but also their emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. And even when they have received help to cope with their diagnosis, and may possibly have their cancer under control, there is always the fear of recurrence. Shelley says it pervades the house and people come to Wellspring in order to draw strength from other people who have gone through the same experience. This is the most distinguishing feature about Wellspring - its emphasis on peer support - something which would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with those who have a limited life expectancy.
One of the outstanding features at Wellspring, and this includes every site, is the program on Spiritual Growth. At the Coach House it is conducted by Helen Brent and Douglas Graydon, the pastoral counsellor at Casey House and the present President of the Ontario Chaplains Association. Regardless of the site it is a program that is always filled and very much appreciated. It seems to me that this very successful model should be highlighted in OMNI, especially when we go on line in September. It could be of considerable interest to chaplains who are helping people face similar crisis situations.
Paul Chidwick is the Editor of OMNI.
Posted by editor on September 30, 2003 09:53 AM