The Heart of Hastings Hospice is a community-based, volunteer, in-home service, dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals and their families who are facing the terminal phase of their illness. The Heart of Hastings Hospice will assist these people to remain in their home longer or to die at home or in the Heart of Hastings Hospice House.

Purpose

The purpose of the Heart of Hastings Hospice is to coordinate the provision of supportive care by trained palliative care volunteers to the terminally-ill person and the family.

This program is intended to complement the activities of existing health services. This is accomplished by the coordinator of Palliative Care Services liasing with other health care providers, in order to provide optimum support and care of the sick person. Heart of Hastings Hospice specifically provides specially trained volunteers to go into the home of the palliative person, wherever that person resides, as a supportive companion to that person and family.

Goals

With volunteer support our primary goals are:

• To offer dying persons and their families quality of life by helping sustain the most meaningful and satisfying lifestyle in the time remaining.
• To place emphasis on what can be done, not what cannot be done, in the person's remaining life time.
• To promote a loving, supportive atmosphere in which family and friends can say good-bye.
• To provide follow-up with bereavement support to the family following the death.
• To be advocates for terminally ill persons and their families, emphasizing the importance of their emotional, spiritual, social and physical needs.
• To promote the concept of Hospice Care through public education.
• To carry out teaching programs (information sessions) that will provide competent trained volunteers for the Hospice program.
• To work in coordination with all available resources.
• Ongoing evaluation of the program.