Near North Palliative Care Network (NNPCN) is a volunteer-based non-profit organization. The main services NNPCN offers to its catchment area (i.e., the Nipissing and East Parry Sound Districts, spanning over 20,000 square kilometers and including a population of over 150,000 people) are: visiting hospice palliative care; grief and bereavement support; training; and events for seniors, all of which are free. NNPCN trains volunteers to go to clients, wherever they are residing, when they are nearing the end of their lives. NNPCN volunteers support clients and their families with psychosocial support, companionship, and respite. NNPCN also trains volunteers to assist clients who are grieving by facilitating discussions that help clients move along in their grief journey. NNPCN offers a number of training and educational webinars (typically done in-person, but since COVID-19, presentations have moved to online formats). NNPCN also offers events specifically for seniors, typically informational and educational in nature. However, through the “Seniors Connected” program, NNPCN is offering a wide variety of events for seniors to participate in (e.g., a weekly book club that has youth reading to seniors online).

Our main target groups are: seniors; people deemed as palliative or with a life threatening condition; caregivers; the bereaved. NNPCN has developed training to better serve the Indigenous people living in our catchment area. We also have many French speaking volunteers for our francophone communities. NNPCN has recently created training presentations to better serve those living with developmental/intellectual disabilities. NNPCN is also in the process of developing training and expanding services for children and youth who are grieving.