Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society

02/24/2026

More than one million British Columbians are unpaid family caregivers.

One million quiet heroes.
One million people helping with medications, meals, appointments, late nights, early mornings, and everything in between.

Caregiving is an act of love. But it can also be exhausting, isolating, and overwhelming.

And when the person you’ve been caring for passes away… something else happens.

The role that shaped your days suddenly disappears.

Many former caregivers tell us they feel:
• Deep sadness or emptiness
• Relief mixed with guilt
• Anxiety about what comes next
• Physical exhaustion that doesn’t simply “lift”
• A loss of identity after caregiving ends

Grief after caregiving can be complex. It may even begin long before a loss, through anticipatory grief as abilities slowly change.

If you are transitioning out of a caregiving role, please know this: there is no “right” way to feel. Grief and relief can exist in the same heart. Feeling lost does not mean you are failing. It means you loved deeply.

At Prince George Hospice, we understand that support doesn’t end when caregiving does. We are here to help you find your footing again — gently, at your own pace.

02/24/2026

Sometimes grief doesn’t arrive quietly.

It doesn’t knock. It doesn’t schedule itself politely on the calendar.

It explodes.

People often describe these moments as “grief bombs.” You might be driving to work. Folding laundry. Standing in the grocery store. And suddenly — a memory, a scent, a familiar laugh in your mind — and the emotion rushes in all at once.

Tears. Tight chest. That hollow ache.

It can feel shocking, even months or years after a loss.

Here’s something important to know:

Grief bombs are not a setback.
They are not proof you are “stuck.”
They are not a sign that you should be further along.

They are the nervous system remembering love.

When we lose someone important, our brain and body don’t simply file that away. Certain dates, sounds, places, even changes in the season can activate powerful emotional responses. That sudden surge is often tied to deep attachment — and attachment is not something we turn off.

In hospice care, we often remind families that grief is layered. It softens over time, but it doesn’t disappear on command. Those intense moments tend to become less frequent and less overwhelming — but when they come, they are real.

If a grief bomb catches you off guard:

Pause.
Take a slow breath.
Let the wave pass through rather than fighting it.
Reach out to someone safe if you need to.

You are not broken. You are grieving.

And here at Prince George Hospice, we are here to help — not only at the bedside, but in the quiet days and unexpected moments that follow.

02/23/2026

There is something about walking alongside someone at the most vulnerable time of their life that quietly changes you.

As Tracey, a hospice nurse in Virginia, once shared:

“When people have a serious diagnosis, I notice how it changes the way they live their life and how they prioritize things. They shed things that they thought were a priority – some of the more materialistic things. And being around that… it changes you. It makes you appreciate your own life in a different way.”

In hospice care, we see this every day.

We see families choosing time over tasks.
We see conversations that matter.
We see laughter in the middle of difficulty.
We see love rise to the surface.

Serious illness often brings clarity. It gently reminds us that what matters most is not what we own, but who we hold close.

At Prince George Hospice, we are honoured to witness these moments. We are here to support families as priorities shift, as memories are made, and as life is lived fully — right to the end.

If you or someone you love needs support, please know we are here to help.

02/22/2026

There is something about food and memory. 💛

Maybe it was Grandma’s cabbage rolls.
Dad’s Sunday pancakes.
A partner’s famous chilli.

And no matter how many times you try… it just never tastes quite the same.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what is one dish your loved one used to make that you just can’t seem to get right?

Post it in the comments.
Maybe someone in our Prince George community knows the little step or secret ingredient you’re missing.

Sometimes healing shows up in the smallest ways — even in a recipe shared.

At Prince George Hospice, we understand that grief often lives in everyday moments like this. If you are navigating loss, you do not have to do it alone. We are here to help.

02/21/2026

Today is National Caregivers Day 💙
February 20

Today we pause for the people who show up quietly and stay longer than expected.

Caregivers are the hand that steadies the cup, the voice that knows when to speak and when to sit in silence, the calendar-keeper, the late-night worrier, the early-morning checker-inner. They carry love in practical ways — one small moment at a time.

At hospice, we see caregivers every day. Family members, friends, neighbours, volunteers. People who step into hard moments with grace, patience, and a kind of strength that doesn’t ask for applause.

If you are a caregiver, today is for you.
If you know one, thank them — even if it’s just a quiet “I see you.”

Caregiving isn’t loud work.
But it matters more than words can say.

💙

02/19/2026

Grief doesn’t run on a schedule. ❤️

Sometimes, long after the casseroles are gone and the world expects you to be “okay,” the pain is still right there. That experience has a name: prolonged grief.

Prolonged grief can feel like:
• a deep, ongoing ache for the person you lost
• feeling stuck in the loss, even months or years later
• difficulty finding meaning, routine, or joy again
• feeling out of step with the world while it keeps moving

And here’s the part we want to say clearly: this isn’t a failure. It isn’t weakness. It’s a human response to a loss that changed everything.

At Prince George Hospice, we know grief isn’t something you “get over.” It’s something you carry — and you don’t have to carry it alone. Support, understanding, and gentle care can make space for healing, even when the grief feels heavy and long-lasting.

If this resonates with you or someone you love, please know help is here, and hope can still find its way in. 💙

02/18/2026

Sometimes, in the middle of grief, it is not words that help most.

It is a warm head resting on your knee.
A gentle purr against your chest.
A familiar paw that follows you from room to room.

Dogs seem to know when the house feels different. They stay closer. They watch your face. They lean into you as if to say, “I’m here.”

Cats feel it too. They curl up a little tighter. They choose your lap. They purr in the quiet moments when the world feels heavy.

They do not try to fix anything.
They do not rush the tears.
They simply offer steady, faithful presence.

At Prince George Hospice, we understand that comfort comes in many forms. Sometimes it is a nurse holding your hand. Sometimes it is a volunteer sitting beside you. And sometimes it is a beloved dog or cat who senses the ache in the room and chooses to stay close.

Grief is love with nowhere to go. And our pets remind us that love is still here — warm, breathing, and faithful.

If you or someone you care about is navigating loss, Prince George Hospice is here with compassion, dignity, and gentle support for our community.

You are not alone. 💛

02/18/2026

Today is day. With these days feeling so heavy for a lot of us remember that kindness does not have to be big things. Help a senior take the garbage to the curb. Check in on them. Help a child feel just a bit more safe going to school by slipping a family photo into their backpack. Cook a bit extra and take it to the new mom across the street or the neighbour who does so much for you.....

02/16/2026

Today is Family Day in British Columbia.

For many, it is a day of laughter, shared meals, and time together.

For others — especially in Tumbler Ridge — this is the first Family Day since unimaginable loss.

And that changes the day.

At Prince George Hospice, we understand that “family” can feel tender. It can feel heavy. It can feel incomplete. Grief does not pause for holidays, and sometimes the quiet around the table says more than words ever could.

If today feels different for you, please know that is okay.

Family can be the people we grew up with.
The ones we chose along the way.
The neighbour who checks in.
The friend who simply sits beside you.
The community who was there that day — who understands in a way others may not.

And if today feels like too much, it is okay to stay home.
It is okay to turn off the phone.
It is okay to rest.
It is okay to protect your heart.

Grief has its own rhythm. There is no right way to move through a day like this.

On this Family Day, we honour love in all its forms, and we hold space for those who are carrying both love and loss.

Prince George Hospice is here to support individuals and families — however you define family — through grief, remembrance, and healing. You are not alone, today or any day.

With compassion and community.

02/16/2026

02/16/2026

From the Red Deer Hospice Society

A helping hand to create something meaningful 💛

Last week, our residents and volunteers turned simple fingerprints into handmade bookmarks, creating a beautiful keepsake for their loved ones. Each one tells a quiet story of connection, creativity, and shared time.

It’s these gentle moments — hands working side by side, conversations unfolding, laughter in between — that make our home feel so special.