Home Hospice Association
Calgary Chapter
Our mission is to ensure that anyone facing death and their loved ones have equitable access to quality end-of-life care and support. By working with our agency partners and volunteers in Calgary, we’re able to mobilize hospice palliative care cost effectively and expediently, continuously drawing the circle of care wider.
With a focus on dignity, compassion, and culturally sensitive human connection, Home Hospice Association empowers communities to help people die wherever they call home.
Calgary Chapter Directors, Officers & Local Leadership
Our Board meets the 1st Wednesday of every month.
If you’re passionate about wanting to provide equitable access to quality end-of-life care in our community and would like to join our Chapter Board or Become a Chapter Board Member, we’d love to hear from you! Email volunteer@homehospiceassociation.org and we’ll follow up with you.
It Takes a Village: Thank you to our Chapter Partners!
If your agency or organization serves clients or patients nearing the end of life, we can help you make care for these people and their loved ones even more accessible and holistic. Visit our community partnerships page to learn how we work with our agency partners to increase access to compassionate end-of-life care across Canada.
Be part of our future and partner with our Chapter today!
Follow us on Facebook to find out about all the great things happening in our Chapter!
How We Help
Death Doula Mentorship
Given that the Death Doula community is such a vital part of how we can effectively mobilize compassionate end-of-life care, supporting the on-going mentorship and training of HHA Death Doulas and Candidates in Calgary is one of our Chapter’s key priorities. If you are an HHA Death or Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doula / Candidate be sure to check out our Doula Social & Training Calendar of events.
If you're interested in Becoming a Death Doula or Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doula, check out our Certificate Programs and upcoming training dates.
Our Babies, Our Grief
Through HHA’s Our Babies, Our Grief progressive healing group model, our trained Chapter leaders support those who have experienced Pregnancy and Infant Loss - whether the loss occurred days ago or decades ago.
At this time, Our Babies, Our Grief is being offered online as a six-week progressive healing group and monthly virtual drop-in.
Prison Hospice
Our Chapter actively participates in the National Board's Pilot Project group working on how to provide equitable access to end-of-life care within both the national and provincial prison system.
Testimonial
"Laura [Silver] has proved to be such a bright light for all my family with her loving care for my parents and her gentle guidance for us all through the very challenging last phase of their long lives. She has a wonderful talent for providing invaluable knowledge, wisdom, support and sometimes good old fashioned common sense as we’ve been facing the confronting and confusing, often overwhelming, complex experience of end of life for loved ones. With her help my family has felt able to face our fears, and to create a sense of empowerment about managing dying well. Laura has brought us peace of mind knowing we’ve done our best for my parents, and even for ourselves and our own children someday. That’s a very powerful feeling when coping with grief and we are very grateful to her and her infinite kindness, grace and yes, her sense of humour too. Thank heavens for her ability to help us laugh through our tears. Laura makes dealing with dying so much easier to bear and - dare I say - I now feel, thanks to her, we all can face end of life more positively and constructively than I would have imagined before meeting her."
Death Education
Death Doula Training
Do you want to train as an HHA Death Doula or Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doula and provide compassionate end-of-life care and support in our community?
Our Certificate Programs will equip you with the necessary skills, insights, and perspectives to draw the circle of compassionate care wider, while providing you with a network of support from your peers as well as guidance from highly qualified and experienced professionals.
Except for the in-class online weekend session, you will be able to complete the rest of the program at your own pace! Register today!
And you can learn more about death doulas and their importance in end-of-life care here.
Online Death Cafes
At HHA, we strive to normalize death and talking about dying, death and grief, because a culture that silences these conversations and tries to ignore the reality that we’ll all die one day inevitably creates societies where people can’t get the support they need when they or a loved one is facing death.
We offer online general and community-specific (e.g. Caregivers, BIPOC, Parents & Guardians, 2SLGBTQ+, etc.) Death Cafés so that people can meet to explore their relationships with dying, death and grief. As we grapple with what life looks like today, having a safe and non-judgmental space to talk about difficult subjects is so important and can have a significant impact both on how we live and how we die.
Talking with Kids about Dying, Death & Grief Professional Development Training
Discussing death with children and young people can be challenging and many tend to avoid the conversations altogether. But death, just like birth, is a natural part of our lives.
We’re proud to offer our “Talking with Kids about Dying, Death & Grief” Certificate Program for professionals working with young people. Designed to provide professionals with the tools and techniques they need to confidently navigate conversations about dying, death and grief with youth in their care in order to ensure the young people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings about these difficult topics.
Fundraising
Moonlit Memory Walk 2023
HHA’s annual Moonlit Memory Walk fundraiser helps us raise awareness for the amazing work we’re doing in our Chapter. Plus, the funds collected from this event stay in our community, helping to improve compassionate end-of-life care and support right here in Southwestern Ontario!
We are still looking for members of the community to work with our National Planning Team to bring this event to our community on October 28, 2023.
Are you a business or venue interested in being our Walk Host Partner this year? Please visit our Host a Walk page and get in touch with us!
We hope to see you there! And if you're interested in helping to plan this event in your community or volunteering on-site during the event, check out our Moonlit Memory Walk volunteer opportunities.
Follow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all things Moonlit Memory Walk!
Giving Tuesday "Cards 4 Care"
Home Hospice Association proudly participates in Giving Tuesday’s mission “to create a world where giving is part of everyday life.” This year, the global “Giving Tuesday” is November 28, 2023. As part of this fundraiser, we’re collecting “Cards 4 Care” from individuals and businesses in our community - gift card donations for restaurants, shops, and other products or services in the amount of $25, $50, $100 (or more).
Visit our Giving Tuesday Fundraiser page to see how you can donate a "card 4 care". And on Tuesday, November 28th please purchase a “card 4 care” (or 2 or 3) from us!
Together we can increase access to holistic care, personalized support, and practical resources for people facing death in our community and those who love them.
Get Involved
Prison Hospice Pilot
We're looking for dedicated individuals who believe that we all deserve dignity and compassion at the end of our lives to help us with our new Prison Hospice Pilot Project. The goal of this project is to build and mobilize a complete care offering that addresses the dying, death and grief needs of the incarcerated population, those paroled, and those who love and/or care for them.
We’re specifically looking for people who have experience in one or more of the following areas:
Project management and Team engagement
Social work or Social services work
End-of-life care, Death Doulas
Marketing and/or Fundraising
Experience working with the prison population and/or their families
If you’re interested in joining our Project Working Team, please fill out our Volunteer Application and specify “Prison Hospice Pilot” on the form.
Compassionate Caregiving Volunteers
Compassionate care requires compassionate volunteers. We are committed to ensuring that we have a growing and vibrant community of compassionate caregivers to support the front-line care work needed across our Chapter. Having enough volunteers also allows us to establish new programs in our Chapter and support even more members of our communities.
If you’re interested in becoming a Compassionate Care Volunteer in Eastern Ontario, please reach out to us about taking our Compassionate Caregiving Training. Join our team and help build the capacity of this Chapter!
