What is Hospice palliative care?

Hospice palliative care is an approach to care that recognizes the importance of many aspects of living and caring as people approach a time of death.  Paying attention to physical needs, supporting conversations, and practical preparation, providing expert pain and symptom management, allowing opportunity for spiritual reflection, and preparation, dealing with family issues, and supporting friends and families before and after the death of a loved one are all key components of hospice palliative care.  Helping people live as well as they can, as they recognize approaching death, can provide a healing and hope filled time.

With no overnight stay beds, nor full time service available to people in their homes, some people with a terminal illness must leave their families and community supports in order to receive care as they approach death.  This lack of local services has been the motivating force behind FCHS’s drive to build the hospice home in order to serve our communities’ most vulnerable members.

Who will be able to use the Hospice?

Those approaching the end of their lives because of a terminal illness and who wish to live in a Hospice until their death, will usually be admitted within the last three months of their lives.

Why is hospice care needed here?

Early in its work, FCHS conducted a needs assessment with assistance from collaborators in the University of Calgary Faculty of Nursing.  There was a demonstrated need for a facility that can provide palliative care for people living in the Foothills and surrounding communities area.  It is well recognized that three pillars of formal care are required in a community to provide care for those who are terminally ill – expert support in people’s homes, hospice care and hospital care.  At different times in a person’s illness, any of these locations of care may need to be accessed.  In our Foothills' and surrounding communities which cover a very large area geographically, there are two communities with excellent hospitals.  In Okotoks, having the largest and fastest growing population, there are however no hospitals and no long term care beds.  Recently, a greatly appreciated part time palliative home care service was established which in tandem with the FCHS, are the foundation for two of the three pillars of formal care.

How much has been raised and from what sources?

Since becoming a Registered Charity, the Society has raised approximately $4 million through the generosity of many.  Led by substantial advocacy and monetary donations from Leslie and David Bissett, and a generous donation of 8.4 acres of land near Okotoks, Alberta by Dr. Jim Hansen and his family, FCHS has been supported by many individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, Province of Alberta,  granting agencies, service clubs, and Town and Municipal District Councils. The Board and volunteers have contributed over 20,000 hours of voluntary service to raise funds, develop community awareness, and build our Hospice home.  Working with thousands of supportive partners in the community, we are thrilled to have been able to open the doors of the Hospice home on January 28, 2008.

What will the Hospice home include?

The home is a 13,500 square foot facility nestled in a grove of aspens, overlooking the Sheep River valley and the Town of Okotoks to the south, with a view of the mountains to the west and farmers’ fields to the east.

There are 8 self contained patient rooms, two family rooms, a spiritual space, commercial kitchen, meeting and quiet rooms, and space for staff.  Family members can stay with their loved ones or rest in separate guest family rooms, and can visit at any time.  The rural setting will allow space for renewal and contemplation for families, friends and staff.  It will also provide opportunity for patients and families to pursue some of the activities of living that provide personal meaning to them, just as would be possible in their own homes.

Who will help with care?

Care involves expert pain and symptom management in order to relieve physical suffering and help people live as well as they can as they approach death.  Just as importantly, care addresses emotional and spiritual dimensions and supports families in this journey.  Expert care providers include physicians and nurses, social workers and spiritual care providers.  Physical and occupational therapy, complementary therapists, and other disciplines will be available for patients, families and staff.

The philosophy of care at Foothills Country Hospice ensures that expert staff will always be available to help to the degree that best fits the needs and skills of each patient and their family.  Some will require almost total care from our professional staff.  But some may need assistance only for particular hours or for particular aspects of care.  Some patients and their families will want to direct some of their own medication and personal care routines, always within the bounds of expert medical and nursing direction.  Personalizing and humanizing the experience, paying close attention to the expressed needs of each person we serve is key.

Why are we advocating for Hospice care?

Hospice care is a key pillar of effective and compassionate palliative care services within one’s own community.  We are supportive of expert, holistic palliative care in any setting.  But there are also health system and demographic issues that are important to recognize.

Acute care hospital bed capacity is in very short supply.  Waiting lists for hospice beds in the cities are often very long, such that people wanting to enter a hospice sometimes die prior to a bed becoming available. Costs at home can be substantial, and the cost of time away from work for multiple family members to care for someone at home for months can also be very high.  With current human resource challenges, professional staff is difficult to assure for home based care.  We also know that some seniors living in their own homes do not have spouses or family supports to care safely for them.

The cost of acute care hospital beds is in excess of $1200 per day for each person receiving care.  Nationally, average daily costs for hospice care are approximately $650 per person.  Providing safe and expert care in an environment most conducive to the unique aspects of this journey, and for substantially less cost than hospital care is a direction that must be pursued.  Statistics Canada projects a 33% increase in the rate of deaths in Canada by the year 2020.  Senator Carstairs’ 2005 Senate report, ‘Still Not There, Quality End of Life Care: A Progress Report’, indicates that only 15% of Canadians have access to integrated palliative care programs.  We know that most programs that exist are in major cities.  Very few are available for rural residents.

Will there be charges for staying in the Hospice?

In keeping with our philosophy of a community defining itself by how it cares for its own most vulnerable members, the Foothills Country Hospice Society intends to provide our Hospice home for people in our communities without charging them for costs of care.  Small daily charges to recover accommodation costs, such as meals and housekeeping are charged only to family members and guests who stay in our overnight guest rooms.   Guest rooms, offering, private ensuite, two twin beds, a double hide-a-bed couch, wireless internet and satellite TV are billed at $25 per night.  Annual operating costs are projected to be approximately $1.1 million.

What funding campaigns are required to operate and maintain the Hospice?

Current fundraising efforts are centred in four areas:

1. Capital renewal fund – for costs of long term capital and equipment replacement. 

2. Operational fund - staff training and operating funds.

3. Endowment fund – to provide endowed funds for long term operating self-sufficiency.

4. Ongoing programming fund – to assure maintenance of residential, respite and day hospice programs, keying on leading edge innovations in rural hospice palliative care that will be reproducible elsewhere in Alberta and Canada.

How are funds being raised?

FCHS is actively soliciting funds from donors for all of the campaigns listed above.  Corporations and other philanthropists will be the primary supporters of the endowment fund.  A new campaign called “A Day’s Care” was announced in April 2007, in support of the first year’s operating costs.  We continue to apply for funds from government granting sources and other granting agencies.  FCHS is also advocating with government and the Calgary Health Region to help with ongoing clinical costs.   Fund raising events that also raise awareness of the Hospice in our communities have been hugely successful in the past.  Some of these will continue.  Local groups and individuals also continue to be very generous in raising funds for us.

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