Hospice at Home

Honouring dying by deepening the spiritual, emotional and physical domains of care

245,000 Canadians will die of a terminal illness this year. 70% of those wishing to die where they call home won't be able to.

Institutionalized hospice infrastructure and care is often cost-prohibitive, leaving many communities with enormous challenges for how to adequately address compassionate end-of-life care. Hospice at Home provides a solution.

About Hospice at Home

Wherever someone lays their head, we will make their hospice bed. 

The greatest service gap in caring for the dying is a lack of beds in long-term care facilities, hospitals, and residential hospices for the last weeks and days of life. Hospice at Home supports an individual to die where they call home - whether that be a traditional home, long-term care facility, group home, shelter, prison cell, etc.

Through this program, HHA-trained Death Doulas offer guidance and support with planning, legacy work, and vigiling when a person is actively dying, providing a level of awareness and comfort that is necessary for the person to die in peace, dignity and with a sense of control over their dying experience.

Get Involved

Volunteer

Become a Compassionate Caregiving Volunteer to grow the awareness of Hospice at Home in your community and assist in the home with duties as needed.

Join our Hospice at Home Program Team and help build the capacity of this program including volunteer engagement, community outreach, agency partnerships and financial sustainability.

Complete your Post Secondary Education as our Program Manager. Ideally suited for someone currently enrolled in a Social Worker, Social Service Worker or Community Worker Program.

Join the Moonlit Memory Walk

Help us raise money for the Hospice at Home program by joining our Moonlit Memory Walk, and celebrate the lives of parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and colleagues who have died. We also honour loved ones lost before, during, or after a pregnancy, the memory of pets that are no longer with us, and those who donated life-saving organs to others.

Partner

Have you identified a gap in how your community / agency / organization approaches support for those at the beginning of an illness journey? If the answer is yes, then we want to partner with you. Visit our Community Partnerships Page to learn more

Support our fundraising efforts as a corporate or event sponsor and help us raise awareness of this important program.

How Hospice at Home Helps

Compassionate Caregiving Volunteers

These are trained individuals who are able to provide brief respite to a primary caregiver, socialize and connect with the person facing death, help to organize visitors and pet care, assist with basic tasks such as meal preparation, and help to fill in the times when a dying person may find themselves alone.

HHA Trained Death Doulas

Trained to support within the four domains of care (planning, legacy, vigil and grief), HHA Death Doulas are the foundation of the Hospice at Home program. When a Death Doula becomes part of a care team, this person is able to work directly with the person facing death, those who love them, and any other member of the care team to ensure that everything possible is being done so that a death is dignified, peaceful, and provided with culturally sensitive human connection.

Vigil Volunteers

Directly supporting someone who is facing death when needed because of limited available family members, volunteers comfortable being with someone in their last hours and minutes are on-site to assist the Death Doula in ensuring someone does not die alone.

Voices of Love

There are times when loved ones aren’t able to travel to their dying loved one’s side quickly enough, or there may be people who want to be there but are too afraid or uncomfortable. Voices of Love is a pre-recorded playlist, often curated by the HHA Death Doula, that can be played while someone is actively dying and likely non-responsive. Research tells us that hearing is the last to go. Voices of Love ensures the last voices heard are those of love.

The Diana Pathway

While MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) is legal in Canada it is still highly controversial and as a result there are great limits to the support available to someone considering or accessing MAiD. The Diana Pathway (named after the first person who utilized Hospice at Home while accessing MAiD) provides specialized care within the four domains of care (legacy, planning, vigil and grief) specific to the needs of those pursuing Medical Assistance in Dying.

If you need support or would like to inquire about Hospice at Home services in your area, please contact us at info@homehospiceassociation.com

Our Partners

Your donation helps us address the practical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those facing death and their loved ones and allows us to meet those needs wherever someone calls home. Together, we can significantly improve the quality of life of the people that HHA serves by giving them the comfort of knowing that their well-being and dignity are valued and respected.

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We are incredibly thankful for the meaningful collaboration and generous support of our partners:

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