Cure may be no longer possible, and compassionate care for a peaceful death remains the only hope. There is not much time left. You want to honour their wish to die at home, but there is not enough palliative support available, and private care, well, that’s something only the wealthy can afford. You, along with a couple of other people try to be there around the clock and you are all exhausted. Then, because no one ever explained what to expect in the last hours, someone panics and calls 911.
If your loved one is lucky, there is a bed; likely on the palliative care floor of your local hospital. Staff shortages, limits to the number of visitors and the noise of machines are now the reality of your loved one’s dying experience.
This is the reality for millions of us. Only 15% of people living in Canada have the “privilege” to spend their last days of life where they prefer to be.
Home Hospice Association can change this situation with your help. We believe that money or status should not be what determines whose suffering is relieved at the end of their life. If you believe that too, you can help us in our mission by participating in our Moonlit Memory Walk. As part of the legacy of a loved one you may have already lost, you can bring comfort and compassion to someone, who, without you, may not receive the thing we all want - to die in peace where we want to be.
All the stress and challenges of the last few months means we need you more than ever. We have found ourselves adding new services and conceiving of ways to offer compassionate care. This all adds to our significant funding need. Providing grief and bereavement support to those who have lost someone during this pandemic as well as to those professionals out in all fields of caregiving is a top priority. As well, we find ourselves in the role of finding ways to bring people to the bedside when the challenges of travel and visiting policies are keeping people away from their loved ones.
We encourage you to join the Moonlit Memory Walk and get actively involved in this fundraising campaign allowing each of us to receive dignified, compassionate end of life care - not if our time comes, but when our time comes.