At the end of life prison inmates often face constant fears for their safety, intensified suffering from unattended pain, and a profound sense of isolation (see source article).
About this pilot project
As an organization whose mission is to work with communities (geographical, social and spiritual) to improve equitable access to end-of-life care, it is our belief that we all deserve dignity, compassion and culturally sensitive human connection at the end of our lives. The goal of our pilot project is to build and mobilize a complete care offering that addresses the needs of the incarcerated population, those paroled, and those who love and/or care for them when those needs are related to dying, death and grief.
Home Hospice Association (HHA) is committed to achieving our goal by implementing a multifaceted approach that includes the delivery of comprehensive training, personalized mentorship, and essential virtual grief support services. With a profound understanding of the numerous challenges inherent in operating within large and intricate systems, we are poised to address these complexities head-on within the Canadian Penal System.
We recognize the importance of meeting the system "where it is at" and are dedicated to making a tangible impact from the outset. Through the diligent implementation and continuous growth of our program, we aim to drive positive change within Canadian prisons and detention centres, fostering an environment that promotes compassionate care for all inmates facing death and their loved ones.
The training experience of our Death Doulas and Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doulas will be the difference-maker in our approach. Within the next 12 months, the commitment of our Death Doula community along with the expertise and dedication of our Project Working Team will ensure this pilot moves forward to full program roll-out.
Who this project is intended to serve
Our program will consist of services and solutions to care for:
• Those federally incarcerated (male, female, youth)
• Those provincially incarcerated (male, female, youth)
• Family members of both incarcerated and paroled individuals
• Those who are caring for the incarcerated, paroled and their families
How this new program will help
While the Needs Assessment will solidify the full program offering, the diversity of experience and involvement of our team members in the prison system has already provided us with an understanding of some immediate needs and program offerings to focus on, including:
How to Talk with Kids about Dying Death & Grief Certificate Program; customized and delivered to workers in Youth Offender Centres
Compassionate Caregiving Online Training; offered as a “certificate training", this program incentivizes completion and assists inmates' rehabilitation goals (especially for minimum security)
Our Babies, Our Grief Progressive Healing Group; delivered virtually to inmates in women's facilities who have suffered the loss of a pregnancy or infant
While our ultimate goal is to support the end-of-life care needs for those who are certain to die behind prison walls, our team recognizes the significant challenges of “breaking into the system”. It is our belief that offering a fulsome menu of support through education, mentorship, volunteerism and a subsequent case for support of “hospice inside” gives us the greatest chance of meeting our ultimate goal.
Get Involved
Join our Pilot Project Team
We’re looking for dedicated individuals to help us grow our Prison Hospice Pilot Project.
If you’re interested in helping us develop and implement this pilot, we’d love to hear from you! 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 incarcerated individuals and/or their families
Please use our volunteer application form to reach out!
Join our Moonlit Memory Walk
The Moonlit Memory Walk is our major annual fundraiser. For our 2023 event, the Prison Hospice Pilot Team is walking to start building funds and awareness for our project! Join Team Captain Ross Wilson and the rest of our team and help ensure those facing life (and death) behind bars receive equitable access to compassionate care.
Become a member of our walking team, Walking for Those Who Won't Walk Free.
Or if you can't join us, please consider supporting our team with a donation!
Project Pilot Team
Pilot Project Progress
June 2023: A group of Home Hospice Association team members who have a deep desire to help those who are incarcerated and are reaching the end of their life due to terminal illness formed and began to set our goals for both this pilot project and the resulting program.
July 2023: Team is established and first fundraising for pilot begins with the creation of our "Walking for Those Who Won't Walk Free" of team in HHA's annual Moonlit Memory Walk fundraising event.
Looking forward to August 2023: The team will complete a Needs Assessment as the first step in confirming the direction of care. The goal of this assessment is to identify gaps in the current end-of-life care system and assess where HHA and our team of Death Educators and Death Doulas may play a supportive role in improved care for the incarcerated, paroled, their families and the caregiving community serving this population. This evidence-based practice and data collection will support the development of programming available to stakeholders.
Donate
Your donation helps support those on our project team who do this important work to ensure that every individual, regardless of their circumstances, has personalized support at the end of life that honors their heritage, beliefs, and traditions. Each donation helps us to mobilize compassionate care for all, including those facing death in prison or on parole, along with their loved ones.
