La Maison de la Sérénité's Board of Directors sets policy and advises the management team on strategy, executive compensation, dividends, resource management, social responsibility, and other La Maison issues. As a not-for-profit organization, having a Board of Directors involving several experts in their respective fields and different career backgrounds is essential. La Maison de la Sérénité recently welcomed a new board member, Marie-Ève Gagné, lawyer and Director of Legal Affairs and Negotiations at the Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires (AQPP). We are pleased to introduce her to you today.
"I knew early on in life that the path towards the field of law was for me. My career has taken different avenues, and my background is rather eclectic. In recent years, I've had the opportunity to develop an expertise in sound governance of non-profit organizations. I wanted my community to benefit from this expertise, and I was looking for an organization whose mission aligned with my values.
I lost my mother in 2015 and my aunt in 2022. Although these ordeals were very trying, my mother and aunt had the privilege of ending their days in hospice. Having experienced the benefits of staying in a palliative care facility up close and personal and seeing first-hand how these living environments change the end of a loved one's life, La Maison de la Sérénité was a natural choice for me. When I lost my mother, I realized that death remains a taboo subject in our society. The residence, which accompanied my family through this ordeal, brought us great peacefulness and comfort at this difficult time. This is one of the reasons why I decided to get involved with La Maison de la Sérénité. The experience has had a significant impact on the way I look at the end of life. The people who work and volunteer at La Maison de la Sérénité are kind, welcoming, professional, and caring. The emphasis is on life, joy, comfort, and personalized care. Patients are pampered, and their families are supported.
As a newcomer to the Board of Directors, I will take the time to get to grips with the mission and challenges facing La Maison. The welcome has been exceptional, and all the members of the Board are very transparent. I can't wait to tackle some issues and see the difference I can make at La Maison. The following topics appeal to me: medical aid in dying, privacy, financing, human resources, recruitment, and preserving the mission of La Maison de la Sérénité.
As a career woman and mother of three young children, and knowing that in 2023, gender parity and diversity remain important issues on many boards, I'm delighted to see that at La Maison, these matters are tackled head-on. The variety of profiles on a board of directors enables an organization to obtain varied points of view on different subjects and avoid blind spots.
The mission of La Maison de la Sérénité is at the heart of the actions of the team, volunteers, and board members. It's rooted in my values, and I promise to make it shine daily.
- Marie-Ève Gagné, Lawyer, Director of Legal Affairs and Negotiations, Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires (AQPP)
TECHNOLOGY AT THE SERVICE OF OUR PATIENTS
La Maison de la Sérénité enters virtual reality! La Maison 2.0! Virtual reality is a technology that immerses a person in a digitally created artificial world. It can be a reproduction of the real world or a totally imaginary universe. The experience is visual and auditory, and in some cases, tactile with the creation of a feedback. Thanks to a very generous donation from the Member of the Provincial Parliament of "des Mille Îles," Mrs. Francine Charbonneau, La Maison purchased 2 VR headsets for patients and families. Our patients will have access to over 20 types of entertainment (travel, sports, music, etc.) in the comfort of their rooms. This is another way to allow our patients to experience beautiful moments at this last stage of their lives at La Maison de la Sérénité. Let's celebrate life every day!
At La Maison de la Sérénité, our social worker, Stéphanie La Rocque, ensures contact and communication with patients and their loved ones, both during their stay at La Maison and after their death. We believe it is imperative to accompany them so that the period of grief goes smoothly and at each person’s pace.
We use various tools and books to support our interactions, especially with youth. The Laure-Gaudreault Foundation funds the purchase of books touching on grief and bereavement.
In the picture from left to right: Mrs. Stéphanie La Rocque (social worker), Mrs. Ginette Beauséjour (representative of the Laure-Gaudreault Foundation), and Mrs. Nicole Buchanan (Executive Director of La Maison de la Sérénité).
As part of their Recognition and Generosity program for healthcare personnel, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal has offered tickets to La Maison de la Sérénité. Following a drawing, five (5) of our care team employees and their guest attended the dress rehearsal of Marcia Haydee's ballet Sleeping beauty at the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier of La Place des Arts on May 31. It is a masterpiece of classical ballet inspired by an Italian tale with music by Tchaikovsky. The reviews are unanimous: dazzling, magnificent, and the music is superb! In short, these employees experienced a memorable evening while attending a mythical ballet. Once again, THANK YOU to Les Grands Ballets for this great initiative from which we benefited.
On Saturday, June 4, 2022, many of you came, under a sunny sky, to support La Maison during our garage sale. Even Charlie, an employee's dog joined in the festivities. More than $2,100 was raised for the mission and the cause. La Maison's mission is to offer free palliative care services to adults. It allows them to spend their final days in peace while receiving quality care, supported by an exceptional medical team, and surrounded by their loved ones. Also, a bin was well filled with non-perishable food for the Volunteer Center and Moisson Laval. The shelves of the Laval food bank will be filled thanks to your donations. To learn more about La Maison, we invite you to visit our website.
We want to express our most sincere thank you to Les Chevaliers de Colomb (Ste-Dorothée and Vimont chapters) for their financial support at La Maison de la Shérénité. Les Chevaliers de Colomb are generous donors and have given us money from various activities and fundraisers that have taken place in recent months. Donations adding up to $4,223!
On the picture (from left to right) - the Ste-Dorothée chapter:
Deputy Grand Chevalier Mr. Guy Paquette, Trustee Larry Faudel, Mrs. Nicole Buchanan (Chief Executive Officer of La Maison), Grand Chevalier Mr. Pierre Côté and Trustee Mr. Jean-Charles Birchler. Their publicist Mr. Alain Boisclair was also there but not present in this picture as he was the photographer!
Like La Maison de la Sérénité, Les Chevalier de Colomb is a non-profit organization serving the community. We are fortunate that Les Chevaliers de Colomb of Laval has chosen to support our Maison. THANK YOU to all their members!
