The popular Dancing with the Shuswap Stars event, which benefits Shuswap Hospice Society, will not be going ahead this November due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the uncertainties surrounding public gatherings, and a very high likelihood that Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s restrictions on no more than 50 people at a physically distanced event will not change, our organizing committee has made the difficult decision to postpone the event until 2021.
This decision was incredibly difficult when we consider that this event is the single biggest source of community fundraising for the Shuswap Hospice Society. It has been even more heart-wrenching because the need for the Shuswap Hospice Society’s compassionate end-of-life care and grief and bereavement programs has been heightened by the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The process of palliative care and grieving has been seriously altered by the pandemic. In-person visits to hospitals and care homes have been severely restricted, resulting in situations where people may die in a facility alone. As a result in-home palliative care requests have skyrocketed, but this comes with additional stresses on families and loved ones.
And for the bereaved, the pandemic has turned our usual grieving rituals and comforts upside down, adding to the stress, loneliness and anguish of loss.
Shuswap Hospice Society Staff and volunteers are continuing their important work in these challenging times, connecting with clients by Zoom video conference and by phone. They have also been able to reopen the One on One Grief and Bereavement program by appointment only. Anyone wanting these services can call the Shuswap Hospice Resource Centre at 250-832-7099.
Clearly Shuswap Hospice’s services are needed now, more than ever.
So we are asking those who have supported Shuswap Hospice to consider taking the money you would have spent on your Dancing with the Shuswap Stars ticket or on the stars you would have purchased to vote for your favourite dancer and make a direct donation to Shuswap Hospice.
This can be done very easily through their website, www.shuswaphospice.ca or call 250-832-7099.
And we will be back with our dancing shoes on in 2021.
You can view the wrap-up for the 2019 event, here