"I think in the western world people just don’t talk about death and grief. I think people quietly, on their own, try to find out more about it, and where better to go than the library,” Elk Valley Hospice Director Sharon Switzer said during the official opening of the Hospice Library Resource: Help for the dying and grieving.
On Thursday evening, the hospice showcased the Fernie Heritage Library’s second floor bookshelf display full of great reads that cater to children, adults and individuals from all religions.
“We’ve commissioned the library to purchase a full complement of books on death and dying,” Switzer noted, adding that the library is now filled with around 60 books that are accessible to the Elk Valley community.
Guests of the open house included many affected by hospice care, including doctors, hospice staff and Funeral Home director John Gawryluk.
Mayor Mary Giuliano was also in attendance to welcome the new library resource.
The Elk Valley Hospice has been in the community for 20 years now, but Switzer said, “It’s really been revived, [starting] about 12 years ago.”
After completing a strategic plan in the fall of 2014, the hospice employees highlighted that they needed to raise awareness of their services throughout the Elk Valley — one way of doing so is hosting openings like this.