Nav-CARE is
Navigation | Connecting | Advocating | Resourcing | Engaging
Nav-CARE is a free volunteer navigation program supporting people with declining health to live as well and independently at home for as long as possible. In partnership with Quadra Circle, our specially trained volunteer navigators help clients access resources and services in our Quadra Island community, while providing companionship and emotional support.
How Nav-CARE Can Help
People living with declining health often have unmet needs and social isolation resulting in poor quality of life. Many must make life changing decisions to accommodate new life realities. Getting around the community can become intensely challenging, and many do not know the services that are available to assist them. All of these things influence how people manage their health. Nav-CARE volunteer navigators are trained to help with these needs.
Nav-CARE volunteers are good listeners, caring, personable, outgoing, friendly,
patient, positive, capable, conscientious, kind, non-intrusive, and diligent in
finding solutions to assist their clients.
Our Nav-CARE Volunteers will...
Talk you through important decisions and future plans.
​Help locate services & resources to assist in declining health.
Relieve feelings of loneliness, isolation and anxiety.
Offer one-on-one relationships tailored to your needs.
Assist you in re-engaging in hobbies and interests.
FAQ's
1
Who is eligible for the program?
Nav-CARE was designed to meet the needs of persons with declining health who are living at home, either independently or with family. The most important eligibility criterion for the program is that the person feels they need assistance and would benefit from regular visits from a volunteer. We have found that thse who are becoming frail or isolated benefit the most.
2
How is the role of the volunteer navigator different from healthcare navigators?
Nav-CARE volunteers perform a very different role than healthcare navigators. Our volunteers are not health care professionals, they are concerned primarily with improving quality of life. They focus on those practical day-to-day necessities that 'make life more livable.' They have the time and resources to sit down with their client, enjoy a cup of tea, and focus on what matters most to them.
3
What training do volunteers receive?
Our volunteers are educated according to five main competencies: Addressing client and family quality of life; advocating for clients and family; facilitating community connections; supporting access to resources and promoting active engagement. Our volunteers also learn important skills on virtual navigation.
(In addition to training, volunteers are screened and have passed a criminal background check.)
Get to Know Us
Nav-CARE was developed from research conducted in rural palliative care by Dr. Barbara Pesut and Dr. Wendy Duggleby. Through their research they discovered that rural older persons living at home were not receiving the support that they needed, particularly when they were living in the transition between chronic illness and palliative care. They also discovered that there were many resources in rural communities that few people knew about. Some the greatest barriers for volunteers were the lack of opportunities to become connected to older persons who needed help. This led to the development of Nav-CARE.
Contact Us
If you, a loved one or friend, could benefit from the Nav-CARE program, please reach out to the contact information below.
Becoming a Nav-CARE Volunteer Navigator is an extremely rewarding way to give back to the community. For more information on our volunteer program, click
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Kathleen Monahan | Nav-CARE Coordinator
Email: NavCAREQuadraCircle@gmail.com
Cell | Text: 778.874.8187
Office: 250.285.2255
Nav-CARE | Quadra Circle
Kathleen Monahan
Nav-CARE Coordinator
654 Harper Road Quathiaski Cove, B.C. V0P 1N0
778.874.8187 - Cell
250.285.2255 - Office