When a person faces a terminal illness, it is crucial that they have support and dignified conditions at the end of life. This is precisely why hospices exist. In Calgary, there are several excellent hospices that offer patients and their families professional care and psychological support. In this article on icalgary, we will highlight the best of them.
Hospice Calgary
Hospice Calgary is one large organization with three centres of care. The hospice’s mission is to help people find hope and well-being, providing support and exceptional care until the end of life.
The Children’s Grief Centre is one of the hospice’s centres. It accepts children up to the age of 19. Using individual, family, and group therapy, they work with children, adolescents, and their families, helping them navigate grief. The centre also has an online program called “Grief in My Backpack.” This is a course designed to help teachers and school staff support students who are grieving.
The second centre is the Living with Advanced Illness Centre. This centre supports clients of all ages who are living with advanced illnesses. Services include individual and family counselling, as well as online workshops and volunteer support. Volunteers provide regular assistance, which reduces stress and feelings of isolation for patients.
Additionally, the centre has a special course, “Dying, Worth Knowing,” which is open to anyone interested in various topics related to death and dying. The course sessions help prepare for the end of life, as knowledge is the best antidote to fear.
And the third centre is Rosedale Hospice, which offers a life-affirming alternative to hospitalization or dying at home, focusing on quality of life. It is a small, seven-bed hospice in a quiet home for adults with cancer. The hospice has a modern and cozy design. All rooms are equipped with various amenities for the comfortable living of cancer patients.
The Salvation Army Agapé Hospice
The Salvation Army Agapé Hospice is set in a quiet and tranquil garden in the heart of Calgary. When home or hospital is no longer an option, Agapé Hospice provides a peaceful and home-like atmosphere where people can spend their final days with dignity and peace. The caregivers working at the hospice are true experts in providing physical, emotional, spiritual, and social care.
The mission of The Salvation Army is to share the love of Jesus Christ. This is a hospice based on the religious values of The Salvation Army, but they recognize the value and diversity of all people and avoid any discrimination. The hospice operates ethically, fairly, and impartially. “Agapé” is a Greek term meaning unconditional and selfless love.
The hospice was opened in 1992 for seniors, with three residential rooms. Today, the hospice has expanded to 2 wings with 10 residential rooms in each wing.
The rooms offer very comfortable conditions. Nutritious meals are delivered directly to the rooms daily, and patients also have free access to kitchen facilities. Medical staff constantly care for the physical needs of each resident. Importantly, there is no charge for staying at the hospice, but residents are responsible for paying for their medications and oxygen.
The hospice also has “The Elephant” program for children. This is a children’s club for families experiencing loss. It helps children up to age 13 feel safe and less isolated.
The hospice’s social workers also help families overcome financial challenges, access benefits, interact with community organizations, and more.
Dulcina Hospice
Dulcina Hospice is part of St. Marguerite Manor, a larger centre that provides a safe environment for residents in need. For example, in addition to the hospice, there is also a centre for people with memory impairments.
Dulcina Hospice has 26 beds. The work here focuses on alleviating the physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering that often accompanies people at the end of life. The hospice was named after one of the four founders of the Sisters of Charity, Sister Marie Olivia Dulcina, who traveled from Montreal to Calgary in the late 1800s to open a hospital.
The hospice offers an alternative to hospitalization or dying at home. They provide 24/7 palliative care to people nearing the end of life. At Dulcina, the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of each patient are met. The hospice team does everything possible to make this difficult time manageable and meaningful.
Referrals to this hospice can be obtained through palliative care teams in hospitals or as part of home care programs. The hospice admits adults who have a terminal illness and are no longer undergoing active treatment.
The patient will be cared for by doctors, nurses, social workers, and volunteers. Patients’ families are considered an integral part of this team and are viewed as partners in care.
The hospice offers private rooms with their own bathroom and shower, reclining chairs beside the beds, a wall-mounted TV, telephone and wireless internet access, ample complimentary parking, comfortable lounge areas, a chapel, walking paths and gardens, and three meals a day plus snacks and beverages.
Rotary Flames House Children’s Hospice
In 2009, the community recognized the needs of families facing the loss of a child and came together to build a facility called Rotary Flames House. This house is located near the Alberta Children’s Hospital and is one of only six pediatric hospices in Canada and the only one in Alberta.
Here, children with complex, terminal illnesses can access respite care, therapeutic programs, symptom management, and transitional care. Children and their families also receive psychological support and help in coping with grief. All this is possible thanks to the fruitful collaboration of the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services, and generous donors.
During a stay, the team helps families acquire and reinforce knowledge, for example, regarding any new care needs for their child. The team also provides telephone consultations and sometimes visits the patient’s home when the child’s condition changes, to help families adapt to caring for the child at home.
The multidisciplinary team includes nurses, child life therapists, social workers, spiritual health practitioners, pharmacy technicians, and more.
From the time of diagnosis, throughout the illness, and after death, the hospice’s social workers provide families with extensive support. They conduct individual and group sessions, teaching parents how to build lasting relationships with their child, honour their memory, and manage their feelings and trauma.
In short, Calgary has hospices that can truly be called centres of compassion. In each of them, people work every day to make the lives of patients and their families a little easier. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; it doesn’t make you weak. Today’s hospices remind us that even in the most difficult moments of life, there is room for light and kindness.