Glen Burkholder, Board of Directors Chair

During a continuing global pandemic, Home Hospice Association was faced with many challenges, mostly concerning face to face meetings, gatherings, and educational opportunities. In our 2020/2021 year, we had to quickly rejig how we were going to continue to deliver our educational programs. Conversion from in-person learning to an online learning platform was the only way to deliver programming in a manner that was safe for everyone. We quickly became aware that by doing so, this allowed our reach to extend well beyond the greater Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara, and surrounding regions in Ontario, to programming that can be taken advantage of from across Canada, into the USA, and even overseas.

Educating individuals in the many facets of providing dignified, considerate, compassionate, and qualified care to those who are dying and those who are supporting them remains to be the leading capital gaining initiative for HHA. Our specialized training separates us from the rest, by providing many facilitators and subject matter experts to complement the weekend classroom experience. All this comes together on the complementary and gifted platform of “Google Classroom”, and the comprehensive learning curriculum that is provided utilizing Google Classroom continues to be unparalleled. Google continues to support Home Hospice Association on several different levels, and we are grateful to them. Further, my gratitude to goes the many who have and continue to deliver our training programs.

To our CEO Tracey Robertson, my fellow members of the Board and Executive committees, I wish to personally thank every one of you for your continued support and dedication to such a wonderful charity effort. To the many volunteers, education candidates and supporters of HHA, we are nothing without you.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

– Helen Keller

Glen Burkholder
Board of Directors Chair

Strategic Direction: 2021 - 2024

286,000

This is how many hours of care we are committed to provide to ease the suffering of our dying and those who love them.

In 2021 our Board of Directors created a strategic plan to take us through the pandemic and use this time and opportunity to grow our circle of care wider.

2021-2022 Progress – highlights and major accomplishments

Developed public awareness establishing HHA as a recognized leader in providing end of life care education and training in Canada
Established an Agency Partnership Program and process
Built HHA's Four Point Plan to ease the suffering of those dying in Long Term Care
Pilot Programs such as The Diana Pathway, Death Doula Practicum with Hospice Toronto, and CANDY Café are now complete and fully functioning HHA programs
Started building partnerships with Public Libraries to make HHA their Death Education partner to talk to kids about dying, death and grief
Became a leader in post-secondary Internship and Coop Programs:

To quote Intern Navneet Cheem: "I just got the job I gave the interview for yesterday. I am super happy that they still considered me even though they wanted someone with 3+ years of experience while I only had 4 months with HHA. It all happened because I was able to share the experience and skills that I have learned here in HHA which they got impressed with say the attitude and skills to work with them."

2022 – 2024 Goals

Fill Board and Officer vacancies at the community level by recruiting local leaders
Develop a strategy to access public and/or private funding through a grant application process
Work with organizations to position the HHA Death Doula as a paid members of all palliative care teams
Complete the Death Doula in Community Hospice Pilot Project
Re-Launch the No Place Like Home Pilot Project
Work with companies to build partnerships that empower and engage their employees in their local movement
Generate a grant that will secure a paid member of the BIPOC Community to join HHA in the role of Volunteer Manager
Represent the breadth of perspectives about death from the diversity of HHA clients and team base
Inform diverse communities on HHA services through culturally sensitive marketing materials