Residents and staff at the Shorncliffe long-term care facility in Sechelt have a new way to say goodbye to deceased residents.
Formerly, those who died would be brought out of Shorncliffe through the basement, but since March, the care home has been holding farewell ceremonies in which residents and staff line up to witness the dead as they are transferred out of the facility through its front doors.
“Instead of hiding death in our care home, we decided to celebrate it,” said Alison Kilpatrick, activities and day program coordinator at Shorncliffe. ”We’re making a ceremony to honour that person.”
On May 25, volunteers presented the facility with two quilts, handmade by volunteers from Fat Quarters and Wildflower Quilting Studios. Those quilts cover the bodies of the deceased as they are transferred out of the facility.
Kilpatrick said the practice has also been introduced at Christenson Village in Gibsons.
