Aug 6, 2018 | Family Stories
As a former resident of Milton/North Halton I want to offer my support for building a hospice to serve the community that was our home for twenty-five years.
Ten years ago, we left Halton, and my husband Richard died at Matthews House Hospice in Alliston in January of 2016. There are not enough words to describe the wonderful care and support that he and our family received.
I have just attended the opening of the new 10-room Matthews House Hospice where they will offer integrated caregiving, bereavement, and activities for both patients and caregivers. We supported the fundraising because every community needs a refuge for palliative care.
I would encourage each and every person in Milton and Halton Hills to pledge money and time towards the building of the hospice. This is the community’s chance to make end-of-life the most positive and caring time possible.
— Joyce P.
Jul 23, 2018 | Family Stories, Hospice, Palliative Care
My Mother spent a very short period of time at Hospice Wellington in Guelph at the end of her battle with lung cancer and vascular dementia. My wife and I had followed her from hospital to hospital, and into a long-term care facility for a time as well. There are a lot of people who are working in the healthcare system who are trying to do a lot of good on very limited resources. When the time came to place my Mother into palliative care, I learned firsthand just what a hospice facility does that the other facilities do not: They accept death as an inevitable part of life and they make the transition from the life we knew to its absence as painless as possible both for the person departing and those they leave behind. I cannot imagine a more supportive, caring, and peaceful place for my Mother to have spent her last days. She was given care around the clock in the privacy of her own room. My wife and I were able to spend her last night with her, and to be by her side as she slipped from us. The staff joined us to say goodbye, even after only two days. Hospice understands that those last days become all the more precious when there are no more to come. Hospitals and long-term care facilities are simply not designed to accept death this way, but hospice is. I cannot imagine how much more difficult it would have been to watch my mother leave from a noisy and public place. Hospice Wellington offered her the opportunity to die with dignity and peace, free from pain, in the company of her family, and I cannot say enough how truly valuable that is to one’s peace of mind in the years that follow, nor of how grateful my wife and I are for such a wonderful facility.
Rob G., Guelph Ontario
Apr 18, 2018 | Family Stories, Hospice, Palliative Care
I cannot put into words the extreme gratitude I feel for Hospice. I did not even know what Hospice was. At the final stages of cancer, my very proud and strong mother was bedridden. She did not want to go to a hospital but even she knew she needed constant care. One of the day nurses mentioned Hospice to us and we immediately looked into it. My mother was able to move to the Dorothy Ley Hospice in Mississauga. It was the best decision we could have made. She felt more comfortable and safe knowing there was a nurse available if she needed one. I felt so relieved that she had the constant care.
The hardest thing for a daughter to go through is watching her parent slowly pass away. I couldn’t help her the way an experienced trained nurse could and I was so thankful that I could turn to those wonderful people to help my mother. The 24 hour care she received, the support, the friendliness were just exceptional. The whole atmosphere of the place was very peaceful and therapeutic. I was able to be with my mother 24/7 and even I felt comfortable there using the facilities available to family members.
I am so grateful that Hospice is out there and available for families. – Vesna D.
