Support Beyond
Healthcare
Strengthening Canada's Capacity to Support the Human Experience Surrounding Illness,
Caregiving, Dying, Death, and Grief
Home Hospice Association (HHA) is a Canadian charity dedicated to strengthening the community based layer of support that exists between and beyond healthcare and funeral systems. We believe that every person deserves compassionate support through illness, caregiving, dying, death, and grief, regardless of age, ability, culture, identity, geography, income, housing status, faith, family structure, or life circumstance. And we believe "it takes a village".
While current systems and services address some of the needs related to illness and death, many people face emotional, social, and practical challenges with limited support.
Indivduals, front line workers, families, and communities are often expected to navigate these challenges without the connection confidence, relationships, or resources they need. Home Hospice Association brings people and organizations together to strengthen responses to serious illness, caregiving, dying, death, and grief.
Over the past decade, HHA has helped:
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Build a stronger community workforce.
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Strengthen community responses to serious illness, caregiving, dying, death, and grief.
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Improve access to compassionate support for underserved communities.
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Increase confidence in conversations about dying, death, and grief.
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Develop innovative models of companioning and community care.
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Equip organizations and communities with practical tools and resources.
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Generate evidence through Participatory Action Research to inform community-based practice.
Adding the Missing Layer to Person Directed Care
How We Create Change
Community Capacity Building: Building the confidence, preparedness, and connections that enable individuals, caregivers, organizations, and communities to care for one another.
Community Workforce Development: Preparing knowledgeable, confident, and compassionate people through education, mentorship, experiential learning, and professional development.
Community Action Research: Working alongside communities to identify unmet needs, amplify lived experience, and co create practical, community informed solutions.
Agency Partnerships and Practice Change: Working with organizations to strengthen their response to serious illness, caregiving, dying, death, and grief.
Dying, Death, and Grief Literacy: Building the knowledge and confidence that enable people and communities to engage in meaningful conversations about dying, death, and grief.
Demonstration Projects and Innovation: Developing, testing, and sharing innovative approaches that address gaps in support for underserved and underrepresented communities.