People of Perley - Jody Thomson

End-of-life care is a challenge for every person affected by the last stage of a life. Perley Health volunteers who help residents and their families at that time must draw on their entire store of deep respect and tender compassion.

Jody Thomson is one of those gifted people. For the past year, she has supported the palliative care team at Perley Health. Some ask why. Jody explains: “When I'm sitting with someone who's in the process of dying, every staff member comes in to make sure that they're cared for. Whether we're young or whether we're old, we want to know that we're loved. Staff here love the residents.”

Giving back to her community is just part of who the Perley Health 2024 Volunteer of the Year and former nurse is. Jody's husband had a 32-year career in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The couple had moved nine times in 15 years, to various Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) bases around the world, before settling again in Ottawa. Too distant to routinely visit her mother in an Oakville long-term care facility, Jody decided to volunteer close to home. From palliative care volunteering at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), she joined the palliative-care volunteer team at Perley Health.

Jody explains simply: “I knew that I could help people here.” Her favourite times are hearing from Perley Health Veterans about their own experiences with the RCAF.

The interest and kindly determination of a Perley Health resident turned Jody's head. Keen to draw her skills to his residence, the Veteran showed her around the Perley Health facilities. He pointed out “all the things he loved.” When he passed away a month later, the resident left Jody with a new mission: Finish his “Bucket List.”

That man's list of last-wish experiences focuses on small ways to improve Veterans' lives. It guides Jody's actions and program suggestions. Going down the list, Jody played an integral role in Perley Health's RCAF Centennial celebrations. It was her pleasure to cross-off: “Cut flowers from the garden beds, to brighten the day for women on my floor.”

End-of-life palliative care encompasses quality of life, Jody notes. As a volunteer, she spends time at bedsides, takes residents out to the gardens, and walks with them around the expansive building for winter exercise. Jody helped get a limited-membership Book Club off the ground. The Veterans read such eclectic fare as Star Wars, political biographies, and the 1919 original Tarzan. “Anything but a war book.”

Take me to more People of Perley

"There are so many activities here, so many things to enhance their quality of life, and for me, that's what palliative care is all about.” - Jody Thomson, Volunteer