Everyone can play a part

Jul 25, 2007

It’s been a dream in the making for many years, and now for Hospice Muskoka, that dream is set to become a reality as it embarks on the construction of a residential hospice to serve south Muskoka.

While Hospice Muskoka is known to many, it is one of those special services you don’t know exists until you need it.

For years hospice volunteers have been helping clients and their families in our area with end-of-life care. They are anonymous Good Samaritans, going around doing good deeds in their quiet way, but making a huge impact on the lives of many. Finding volunteers for community endeavours is not easy at the best of times. The demands made on hospice volunteers make them even more difficult to recruit and retain. Not everyone can manage the emotional aspects involved with this work. Hospice volunteerism is truly a calling, and supporting those individuals who heed that call is a noble deed in itself.

Hospice care is a hugely needed service in Muskoka, especially when you consider the influx of retirees to our area, although hospice doesn’t just help older people.

A recent study showed that although 90 per cent of people surveyed expressed a desire to die at home, in fact, 75 per cent actually died in hospital.

It’s sad to think that many didn’t get their dying wish.

Currently Hospice Muskoka has been delivering its many services in-home and at its two hospice rooms at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital. But a 10-room residential hospice will enable this organization to truly achieve its purpose. This facility will allow south Muskoka to establish a care connection, allowing people to come together to celebrate their lives with each other.

A residential hospice has been described as “a sense of place and belonging . . . at one with nature and in balance with the universe.”

Sounds like a worthy cause, and hospice will need your help. The organization is looking to raise $4.5 million for the project, with the balance of the funds going toward operational costs.

While it looks like the project may receive a boost from the Local Health Integration Network, this is a project we all need to get behind.

Helping people die with dignity, with the support of people who truly care, is a gift of immeasurable proportions. Surely, it is worth whatever you can afford to give.

KF