Improving quality of life
About the Program
Nav-CARE is a volunteer-based community program for citizens living at home in the West Island of Montreal who are coping with various health-related and/or emotional issues, including chronic illness, isolation, mobility challenges, grief and loss and/or caregiver fatigue. The goal of Nav-CARE is to enhance the well-being of those in need and their families and caregivers within their home environment. Accredited volunteers are paired with clients to provide regular visits, support and companionship. They are skilled in assessing quality of life, advocating for needs, connecting people to community services and navigating access to essential resources.
Delivered by the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence in partnership with local organizations and coordinated through the Montreal Institute for Palliative Care, Nav-CARE focuses on improving quality of life by helping individuals feel more supported, connected, and confident in their day-to-day lives.
Who is Nav-CARE designed to help?
We serve West Island adults who have declining health and/or quality of life concerns, such as:- Mobility issues or sensory challenges
- Difficulty making hard decisions about their care
- Difficulty accessing the right resources to fit their needs
- Those experiencing a recent loss or bereavement
- Those feeling an increased disengagement within their social circle or their community
- Those who are overwhelmed by caregiver fatigue
- Those who are feeling lonely and isolated from the world
West Island municipalities covered by Nav-CARE:
Baie-D’Urfé
Beaconsfield
Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Kirkland
Pointe-Claire
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Senneville
Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle
L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
Pierrefonds-Roxboro
Île Perrot-Pincourt
Vaudreuil-Saint Lazare-Hudson
Through the lens of the Compassionate Communities Model, the Nav-CARE Navigator is a person who enriches the work of the Residence and The Institute by caring for persons in need who are living at home. The Nav-CARE Navigator establishes trusting relationships, facilitates connections, and promotes quality of life.
The Nav-CARE-specific volunteer role:
- Creates a trusting bond and a companionship with clients
- Develops relationships with individuals and their families that promote wellness
- Is a a source of guidance and conversation during health-related challenges and future planning.
- Helps clients to locate local services and resources that can help manage their illness or that of a loved-one
- Guides clients to connect with people, resources, and services available in their communities
- Helps to relieve feelings of grief, loneliness, isolation or caregiver fatigue
- Supports clients to re-engage in learning opportunities and hobbies
- Facilitates community connections, encourages independence and promotes quality of life
- Advocates for clients when necessary
Primary responsibilities:
- Visit individuals regularly (once a week) in person for 90 to 120 minutes (via phone or virtually only as an exception).
- Perform the Atlas exercise (**training provided)
- Create an action plan (**training provided)
- Facilitate connections to community resources and services (**resources/services training provided)
- Provide support and encouragement
- Help individuals stay engaged in what is meaningful to them
- Provide active listening
- Attend monthly meetings and trainings
- Represent the Montreal Institute for Palliative Care while respecting the Nav-CARE role and guidelines
General qualifications:
- Experience working within the helping field (through education, work or volunteer)
- Experience working with adults and the elderly (an asset)
- Experience in palliative care (an asset)
- Resourceful in seeking out information, tools and resources
- Highly effective communication skills and listening skills
- Ability to develop compassionate relationships
- Professionalism, diplomacy and discretion
- Spoken Bilingualism, English and French (an asset)
* Interview, references (work or volunteer) and Vulnerable Persons Check are required
** Training that is specific to the Nav-CARE program will be provided at no cost
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Nav-CARE Coordinator, Cynthia Lapointe at 514-941-1718 or nav-care@tdpcr.ca.
Compassionate Workplaces
In the absence of compassion, workplaces can unintentionally contribute to stress and suffering. Our mission is to help organizations unlock their full potential as vibrant, connected, and compassionate communities. By applying a lens of compassion to workplace processes, policies, and leadership practices, we can reduce unnecessary suffering and foster quicker recovery from significant loss, grief, or hardship.
Compassion is a vital ingredient for any organization striving to build an inclusive, values-driven culture, one that truly honors and supports its greatest asset: its people. Through our in-person and virtual training workshops for managers, participants gain practical support strategies and best practices for fostering compassion in the workplace. This includes guidance on how to support employees or colleagues navigating recent loss or experiencing caregiver fatigue.
