Matthews House Hospice opens second residence in Alliston

August 31, 2013 · 0 Comments

The end of life can be difficult for people suffering from terminal illness, as well as their loved ones. The new Matthews House residential hospice is there to help provide comfort to ease their passing in a home-like setting.

While the community hospice focuses on quality of life for patients diagnosed with life-threatening illness, providing individual and group counseling and wellness programs like Reiki and yoga, the new residence is established for end of life care. Steve Aelick, Vice President of Matthews House Hospice, says hospitals are designed for people to get well in, and not the right place for them to die.

“The [hospital] environment is very different, and there isn’t the opportunity for privacy or for time with family,” says Aelick. “Here we build everything around the client, and a big part of the process is helping the family help their loved one.”

The sense of home is emulated throughout the building both inside and out, with a kitchen and comfortable living room complete with a fire place available for use by patients and their family members. A wooden deck leads from the main level of the bungalow down to the spacious green yard and newly planted butterfly garden. Plush, carpeted stairs lead to the basement where a T.V. lounge and dining room is set up. Families are welcome to gather here for any reason, including birthday celebrations.

Patient bedrooms are also spacious and bright, featuring large windows that allow a view of the residential neighbourhood and green grass outside. Paintings, lounge chairs and T.V. with cable occupy both rooms, as well as fully accessible bathrooms with tubs and showers. Family members are welcome to spend the night in either the reclining lounge chairs, or in the guest bedroom on the lower level.

The hospice residence is not limited as a facility primarily for the elderly. Referrals for this type of care typically come from doctors, a Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), but self-referrals are also accepted in person or over the phone.

“There is criteria for admission, and we’ve got a whole team that looks at that so that it’s fair,” says Kelly Borg, Director of Hospice Services. “If we’ve already got our beds full then there is a wait list for people to come in here. We don’t turn anybody away, but obviously there’s not always going to be a bed available for people.”

These criteria prioritize patients based on need. For example, someone living alone with no family available to help would be higher on the criteria list than someone eligible for home care.

60 of Matthews House Hospice’s 150 volunteers help at the new residence, as well as six nurses and three doctors. They welcomed their first patient earlier this month and plan to have four beds open by January. Their end goal is to have ten beds available for patients.

The average stay at the residence is seven to ten days, although sometimes patients are lucky enough to get well again. Being in a comfortable setting, rather than a hospital, has a lot to do with that.

Construction on the adjoining house is scheduled to finish in the next few weeks, making more beds available in the residence.

By Emily Wood