Lynett Getz, a social worker on the palliative unit at St. Joseph’s Home, a Covenant Health centre in Medicine Hat, was looking for a way to memorialize patients who have died when she attended a conference and heard of a hospice where staff keep a Christmas tree up all year for this purpose. Learning about the hospice tree sparked the idea to create a memorial wall featuring a hand-painted tree mural at St. Joseph’s Home.
“We have a beautiful, talented lady in Medicine Hat called the ‘Painter Lady,’ and she does amazing murals,” says Lynett. “We asked her to create a mural that reflects the four seasons as a permanent place on the unit to remember our patients.”
The memorial for patients has become the “butterfly wall.” It consists of a tree mural with acrylic butterflies attached. When a patient passes away, the unit staff affix a paper heart with the patient’s initials and the date of their death to one of the butterflies. The paper heart remains on the wall for six months, helping to create a unique remembrance.
For Rosemary Sanchez, unit clerk for the palliative unit, the butterfly wall is a beautiful reminder of patients and their families, and it provides a warm and inviting environment for visitors to the unit.
“Every day, people can see through the butterfly wall that we care for our patients when they’re here and that we cherish their memory when they pass,” says Rosemary. “Patients leave an impact on the staff here on the unit.”
The butterfly wall is a testament to the staff recognizing each person, whether they’re on the unit for a day or three or four months, says Lynett. The patients become part of the family on the unit, which is what makes it a comforting and welcoming place for people who are at end of life.
“We really do get attached to our patients and their families; we are there to provide comfort and the care they need, allowing their families to just be their husband, wife, daughter, son,” says Lynett.
Camille Larson is part of a family for whom the butterfly wall had tremendous meaning and brought a sense of comfort. Her husband, Adam Gartry, spent his final days on the unit, and seeing the wall particularly impacted his seven-year-old daughter.
“When looking at the butterflies, she asked, ‘Is this what Daddy turns into when he passes away?’” says Camille.
After Adam passed away, the family purchased additional butterflies for the wall.
“After Adam passed, his parents saw a monarch butterfly hanging around their back deck for about two weeks,” says Camille. “Our family found great comfort in seeing this reminder of Adam around us.”
For Lynett, the butterfly wall creates a special connection with patients and their families. Staff talk with the families about the meaning of the butterflies to let them know their loved ones will be remembered in this way.
That meaning lives on with Camille and her family. “Adam’s daughter now has the same-coloured butterfly that was purchased for the site in her room to represent her father,” says Camille.