Home Hospice Association
Southwestern Ontario 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 within Southwestern Ontario, 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.
Southwestern Ontario Chapter Directors, Officers & Local Leadership
This chapter is still looking for a Chapter Champion – learn more and apply today!
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
C.A.N.D.Y. Café
It was a participant at a 2017 Death Café that inspired our "Creating Awareness and Normalizing Death for Youth" (C.A.N.D.Y.) program when she commented that her daughter asked why there wasn't a death café for “kids”. From then on, our Chapter has been committed to engaging and educating young people and their caregivers on the topics of dying, death and grief.
If you're part of a library, community centre or other youth-focussed group that would like to bring our C.A.N.D.Y. Café to your organization, contact our Program's Manager, Terri.
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.
Metis Nation of Ontario
Home Hospice Association has partnered with the MNO to support the development of end-of-life education, services and support systems for its citizens. From the customization of our Compassionate Caregiving online training to the mobilization of Death Doulas, we’re committed to meeting the cultural, social and spiritual needs of the MNO in collaboration with their existing staff and front-line workers. We began working with the MNO in March with a three-day Compassionate Caregiving and Death Awareness Workshop at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Toronto (see photos here!), and will continue to work with their 37 communities to develop and implement care for their members facing death and those who love and care for them.
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.
Death Education
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 South Western Ontario 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.
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.
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
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 17, 2024.
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!
The Bello Project & PAWcasso's Studio
Our Chapter is committed to keeping pets and their owners together when the owner is facing death with HHA's Bello Project program. Thanks to great partners, such as Google and their “Googler Doodler Days”, we also raise money for the Bello Project with our PAWcasso’s Studio fundraising pop-up event. Our community partner St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and The Blessing of the Animals also offers our community a special opportunity to honour the human-animal bond.
Get Involved
Compassionate Caregiving Volunteers
We continue to be 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 South Western Ontario, please reach out to us about taking our Compassionate Caregiving Training.
Prison Hospice Pilot Project Volunteers
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.
