We do not want to die alone and we do not want you to die alone!
Not all of us have the advantage of a deep pocket, nor are we all able to have the invaluable emotional support and care provided by a family member in our last months of life. Not all Canadians have access to palliative care, or have a dignified death. The sad reality is that only a small percentage of us have access to these privileges at the end of our lives. Is that fair?
When it comes to care, especially hospice care, we expect the highest level of service. We want our loved ones to feel comfortable, to be treated with dignity and respect, and especially, to have peace and compassion in the last days and hours. But who provides this if our loved one isn’t in a hospice building or in one of the few hospice beds available in the hospital?
If dignity, respect, peace and comfort were the words most often used when most people described their loved one's death, Home Hospice Association and the work we do would not be necessary. The reality is that we are desperately needed, and that need is growing at an alarming rate.
Home Hospice Association can change how we live and die, but only if our work matters as much to you as it does to us. We are not funded by the Canadian health care system. Many corporations want to make a donation to something that feels good…like cures. But regardless of medical advances, sadly, illness takes more lives than it cures.
When we forget about those for whom there will not be a cure, are we saying their lives don’t matter? What if that person is someone you love? What if it is you? Could anything feel more lonely or terrifying?
The mission of Home Hospice Association is to provide compassionate, high-quality end of life care to absolutely everyone at no cost to them or their family. We strive to fill the gaps that our health care system has had for years, and that unfortunately, affects millions of us. We want to make the difference. We want to change how we treat our dying. Be the change with us!
All the stress and challenges of the last few months means we need you more than ever. We have found ourselves adding new services and conceiving of ways to offer compassionate care. This all adds to our significant funding need. Providing grief and bereavement support to those who have lost someone during this pandemic as well as to those professionals out in all fields of caregiving is a top priority. As well, we find ourselves in the role of finding ways to bring people to the bedside when the challenges of travel and visiting policies are keeping people away from their loved ones.
Join our Moonlit Memory Walk and get actively involved in this fundraising campaign in order to allow each of us to have a dignified and compassionate end of life experience - not if our time comes, but when our time comes.