People of Perley - Darlene Poulin

On any given day, Darlene Poulin might be found navigating the corridors at Perley Health, or seated beside a resident at medical appointments, offering quiet reassurance. As a volunteer with Spiritual Health and a medical escort, Darlene's connection to the Perley community began over 13 years earlier, at Sunday Mass.

One Sunday she noticed there was no singer. She introduced herself to the organist and from that point she sang regularly until the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Faith is very important to me,” she says. “And I know how much it meant to my dad, particularly to come to the service every Sunday because that was part of their lives for such a long time.”

Darlene's father, Joe, was a Veteran. When mobility became a challenge, he began attending the Adult Day Program at Perley. Eventually he moved into long-term care.

Legally blind, Joe could not see the activity calendar, but he rarely missed a program.

“He went every single day. He did pottery. He did painting, he did woodworking. And when he couldn't do those things anymore, he came and just sat with people, and he sang.”

What did he sing? “Anything,” recalls Darlene. Sometimes he invented songs on the spot. He told jokes. He drew faces. “But because he couldn't see, he was more like Picasso,” she jokes. “Some of his drawings were very interesting.”

Her father passed away in 2012, and Darlene stayed on as a volunteer.

Today, Darlene volunteers with the Spiritual Health team and as a medical escort. In her previous career, she worked in a hospital, an experience that proved invaluable when she started accompanying residents to medical appointments.

“I'm very familiar with hospital processes and how to get around. It's especially important for those who don't have family members – it gives them a little bit of comfort and calms things down in stressful situations.”

In those moments, her role is both practical and deeply personal. Sometimes Darlene sits quietly, other times she talks people through distressing news. She recalls a resident who asked her to accompany him in the exam room and call his wife afterward. “You're there as a recorder, if you will, just to capture that information,” she says.

There are moments she's never forgotten. She remembers a Veteran who lost much of his ability to communicate and had no family. “Just watching the interaction and the gentleness,” she says of the staff caring for him. “It really resonated.”

In her imagination, she heard his voice: “I'm not who I am now. I want somebody to see me for who I was.” She imagined him as a young man, grieving friends lost in war. “That has stayed with me all of these years, and I will never forget him.”

She sees that recognition throughout Perley, especially on Remembrance Day. When the Last Post sounds and tears rise, the memories are closer than ever.

“They've got history and stories to tell.”

Darlene hopes young volunteers at Perley continue to listen and carry those stories forward.

“It's history. It's definitely history. And people should be able to hear about it.”

Sharing her faith with others and assisting seniors, especially those who have no family, is a highlight of her time at Perley. As for her own future, Darlene plans to volunteer as long as she's able, and encourages others to do the same. “Jump in and get involved,” she says. “You will not regret it.”