Annual Report Summary
Leadership Message
From Our Co-Founders
Home Hospice Association continues to amaze us. With each passing year, we witness growth and enthusiasm among those who embrace the message of compassionate care for one another. In 2022-2023, we focused on planting seeds with intention. Emerging from the challenges of COVID-19, we reaffirmed our commitment to improving access to equitable end-of-life care. The pandemic severely impacted community-facing psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual end-of-life care, and rebuilding these services required significant effort.
We mobilized new HHA Chapters and nearly doubled the number of national board participants. Our reach has expanded from Ottawa in the east to the southwestern corridor of Windsor, with emerging interest from communities across Canada, including Calgary and the eastern provinces.
The need for dedicated, compassionate care for the dying is immense. Home Hospice Association strives to be a leader in the education and delivery of hospice care that transcends the traditional "building-based" model, caring for people wherever they call home. Imagine the impact if the resources typically allocated to constructing physical hospices were redirected to providing home-based care. We could vastly expand our circle of care, ensuring that everyone, anywhere, has access to the support they need.
As we begin a new fiscal year on September 1st, we reflect on our journey. Founded on Labour Day, HHA has grown from a vision to a reality that continues to evolve. Our resolution for 2023-2024 is to "Tend to the fields where seeds are taking root." We remain committed to serving the 84% of Canadians who do not have equitable access to end-of-life care, and we thank all those who have supported us in this mission.
Tracey Robertson
Co-Founder & CEO
Glen Burkholder
Co-Founder & Board Chair
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Progress Report
Highlights
Board Expansion: Doubled the number of national board participants. Geographical Growth: Expanded chapters across Ontario, from Ottawa to Windsor, with emerging interest in Calgary and the eastern provinces.
C.A.N.D.Y Café: Established as a foundational program, fostering partnerships and opening pathways for new agency collaborations.
Project Development
Expanded our population-specific programming by integrating Our Babies, Our Grief Progressive Healing Groups, The Bello Project, and The Diana Pathway into initiatives such as No Place Like Home (serving the LGBTQ2S+ community), Prison Hospice, and Houseless Hospice.
Launched the LTC 4 Point Plan to improve end-of-life care in long-term care settings, with a goal to place HHA Death Doulas on staff in every facility.
Agency Partnerships
C.A.N.D.Y Café: Solidifying partnerships and expanding outreach.
Compassionate Caregiving: Enhancing the Professional Caregiving Program, The Forgotten Responder workshops, and the De-Briefing Help Line.
Education Initiatives
Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doula Scholarship Fund: Ensuring access to professional care providers in marginalized and rural communities.
Compassionate Caregiving Online Training: Mobilizing to provide critical end-of-life care knowledge and skills.
Public Educational Events Relaunch: Reviving events such as Death Cafes and workshops on talking about death and grief.
Testimonial
Board Chair: Glen Burkholder
To our professional development facilitation team - thank you for your dedication. Your contributions make our educational efforts effective and sought after. My heart is full of gratitude to all who work in background and the numerous facilitators that give their time to the multiple weekends of the live and in-person fulfilment of each program.
HHA Chapters
Our chapters are re-engaging with their communities, focusing on:
In-Person Networking: Providing opportunities for Death/ IPL Doulas and care companions to connect, learn, and celebrate.
Collaborative Opportunities: Partnering with community agencies to extend end-of-life care programs.
Community Engagement: Hosting events like Death Cafes to foster community conversations about dying and death.
A Note From
HHA Co-Founder: Jeanne O'Kell
In 2014, on a dock at my cottage, Tracey shared her vision of HHA with us. That vision has since enveloped so many people with support and assistance. HHA not only supports those wishing to die at home but also offers incredible educational opportunities, helping countless people understand that it’s okay to die and a gift to accompany someone on their journey. I’m immensely proud of our entire HHA family for making this dream a reality.
Looking Ahead
As we move into 2023-2024, HHA remains steadfast in our mission to provide compassionate, accessible end-of-life care. Building on the momentum of this past year, we are focusing on expanding our reach and deepening our impact across Canada. Our goals for the year ahead include:
Chapter Engagement: Expand into Alberta (Calgary) and British Columbia. Community Outreach: Collaborate with community agencies to integrate end-of-life care programs, enhancing the support available to the populations they serve.
Bello Project Expansion: Support pets living on the street with owners facing death, part of the Houseless Hospice Program.
Compassionate Caregiving Training: Rebuild and mobilize online training to equip community caregivers with the knowledge and skills to confidently provide end-of-life care in diverse environments.
Featured Blog
In this year’s blog feature, Lisa Bonneville, one of Home Hospice Association’s dedicated Death Educators, reflects on her experience during a Death Doula Certificate Training Weekend, offering a unique perspective as both a facilitator and a participant. Her insights beautifully capture the essence of our mission to provide compassionate care and meaningful education within and across our communities.
Lisa’s journey emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and connection, and how this training empowers caregivers to offer the dignified, compassionate support at the heart of HHA’s work.
Read her full story here: The Death Doula Certificate Training Weekend: As a Facilitator vs. a Participant.
Testimonial
Board Secretary: Pam Keetch
As I think back about this past year, the Covid pandemic served to highlight the extent of the need and the issues being experienced with the current availability of end-of-life care – there is so much work to be done. There’s a famous quote “No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.” I am honoured to work with a dedicated group of people who are passionate about “lightening that burden” by extending and improving access to quality end-of-life care in our communities.
Moonlit Memory Walk
Committee Chair: Francine Kelly
The Moonlit Memory Walk is Home Hospice Association's annual fundraiser that brings people and communities together to commemorate their loved ones who have died. All proceeds raised from this walk directly benefit Home Hospice Association, the only Canadian Registered Charity dedicated to ensuring access to compassionate end-of-life care and support for anyone, at any time, of any age, under any roof. The goal is to firmly establish The Moonlit Memory Walk as the premier annual fundraiser for HHA and our Chapter Communities while raising a minimum of $100,000.00. To this end, each chapter needs to put their “hometown feel” on their local event.
This coming October I will walk along the beautiful waterfront of Humber Bay, taking af leisurely stroll to the mouth of Lake Ontario. Before we walk, we will participate together in a Candle Lighting Ceremony and hear the names of our loved ones. We gather under the autumn moon for a collective healing session and remember that our loved ones lived, not how they died.
Francine is walking for her dad in the 2023 walk.
Team Acknowledgement
As we reflect on the successes of 2022-2023, we extend our deepest gratitude to the amazing team working behind the scenes. This year's Social Justice Interns were instrumental in assembling this annual report, and we are immensely grateful for their dedication. Thank you for your hard work and for shining a light on HHA’s progress and future.
Learn more about our team here and our cutting-edge internship program here.
To the rest of the HHA team: Thank you for your tireless efforts, your unwavering commitment, and the excellence you bring to this charity. The light you shone on HHA’s achievements illuminates every page of this report and every step forward we take. May you see the profound impact of your contributions reflected in the progress we celebrate today and the strides we continue to make tomorrow.
Facilitator Spotlight
HHA Death Doula Graduate & Death Cafe Facilitator: Stephanie Rouet
“The whole experience of learning with HHA was an enlightening one… I am proud to be a ‘graduate’ of the doula program and I feel that it prepares me to offer a qualified level of service to my community. Thank you.”
Stephanie knows that change is a fact of life. Having lived in five different countries and worked in various entertainment and social services, connecting with people is the keystone of her career. As a social worker in dementia care, she has often reflected on end-of-life experiences for long-term care residents and families. Becoming a death doula was a natural way to create much-needed changes in how we care for the dying. While the challenges are vast, the conversations are fascinating - and death cafes are an excellent way to gather people and talk.
Donor & Partner Acknowledgements
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our partners, donors, and supporters. Special recognition goes to Margaret Byrnes for a generous donation of $5000. We’re also grateful to everyone who has embraced and contributed to HHA's vision, including the following institutions and organizations:
Boreal Pet Foods
Durham College
Toronto Metropolitan University
Humber College
TriOS College
George Brown College
Featherstone Estate Winery
Ottawa Public Library
Vineland Estates
13th Street Winery
The Keg
Casa Loma
Art Gallery of Ontario
Hospice Orillia
Tim Horton's
Explore all our partners here.
Partnership Spotlight
Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO)
Partnering with the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) has been an extraordinary opportunity to support a community dedicated to improving the lives and deaths of every Métis citizen. MNO's visionary leadership and innovative approach to member care have made this collaboration both impactful and inspiring.
Recognizing a critical need for comprehensive death education and compassionate caregiving training for their frontline staff, MNO partnered with Home Hospice Association (HHA) to address this gap. Within just six weeks, HHA developed and delivered a 2.5-day educational event tailored to MNO’s needs. This event integrated components of HHA’s Compassionate Caregiving Training, Death Doula Certificate Program, and specialized topics such as “How to Talk with Kids about Death and Grief.”
This collaboration underscored our shared values and established a foundation for a dynamic and evolving partnership.
Our Partnership Journey
December 2022: Initiated discussions to explore a working relationship.
January 2023: Officially launched our partnership with plans for a 2.5-day “Death Education and Compassionate Caregiving” event.
March 2023: Successfully facilitated the 2.5-day event, equipping MNO frontline staff with essential skills.
April 2023: Established working groups focused on compassionate caregiving and addressing death and grief with children.
June 2023: Hosted an online event dedicated to pre- and perinatal loss.
This partnership has demonstrated the power of collaboration in expanding access to compassionate, inclusive end-of-life care and education.