Hospice Simcoe for the Barrie Examiner, October 13, 2010
Hospice Simcoe is realizing a dream. St. Elizabeth Health Care has been providing care to our residents since Hospice opened their beds last December. As of October 1, the RNs and RPNs caring for our residents are now employees of Hospice Simcoe.
The support provided by St. Elizabeth Health Care over the past months has allowed Hospice to stabilize its operations and prepare us for this next step. Many of the St. Elizabeth staff have chosen to remain with us, offering continuity as we transition. Kelly Hubbard, our Residential Manager, has been working very hard to prepare us for these added responsibilities. Providing 24 hour care to residents and families has been a significant change for us. One of the pieces that we have had to pay closer attention to is our emergency planning. On October 20, we will be participating in a mock evacuation, just to make sure we all are on our toes and our residents and families are as safe as they can be in our care. The Barrie fire department and Barrie Police have been very supportive, as we develop these processes.
On November 1, Hospice Simcoe will open the three remaining beds to complete our 10 bed residence. We hope it will mean reducing the waiting time for those eligible to stay with us. We know that most people would choose to die in the comfort of their own home surrounded by family. Sometimes that isn’t possible, if caregivers become exhausted or the care becomes too complex to manage at home. Hospice can offer an alternative. In order to come to Hospice, Community Care Access Centre must first complete their assessment. Generally people stay with us less than three months. Since we opened in December, Hospice has cared for 57 families. On November 5, we will be holding an anniversary tea, in celebration of all the work and support that our community and neighbours have provided us.
With all the excitement about the residence, we don’t want to forget that Hospice has been providing a Volunteer Visiting program for 22 years. Deb Gillard, our Client Care Coordinator for the Visiting program tells us that the volunteer visitors support almost 30 clients per month. The support they provide in the home, allows the caregiver to get away from the home or take a needed nap without concern. Our volunteers do a variety of things around the home depending on the client’s need. This may involve shopping, walking the dog or that objective ear that we all need to talk things out. Our volunteers are a very dedicated group and all who provide client support, participate in a 30 hour training session and receive certification in the Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care.
The work of Hospice Simcoe, like all the Hospices across Simcoe and Muskoka, is to support individuals and families facing life threatening illness. Being involved with Hospice early in the journey of a disease allows for more relationship building and added support. Hospice, it’s about celebration, it’s about living every day.