NEWS RELEASE — "Campus of Care" is first of its kind November 24th, 2009 – The Abbotsford Hospice Society (AHS) announces the launching of a three year/seven million dollar capital campaign to build a facility to house its Resource & Support Centre and ultimately a residential hospice for persons age 19 and older. The new AHS facility will form part of an innovative partnership between the Abbotsford Hospice Society, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and Matthew’s House children’s respite centre to create a one of-a-kind Campus of Care in Abbotsford that will serve all of B.C. [...]   Read More

Leaders in Bereavement and Palliative Support Services

Overview

The Abbotsford Hospice Society (AHS) is a support and resource centre for those living with a terminal illness or grieving the loss of someone significant and has been serving the community since 1986. Dedicated professionals and volunteers provide emotional, spiritual and practical support to adults, teens and children who are anticipating a death, facing their own death or grieving the loss of someone significant.

Areas of service include:

• One to one companionship or counseling (a variety of settings including our centre, in hospital, private homes and extended care facilities);
• Support groups (at our centre or at your organization);
• Reading and reference materials (quiet time in the library or borrow from our resource selection);
• Public education and professional development (at our centre or at your organization); and
• Community referrals (if we can’t help, we will try to find someone who can).

Thanks to generous community donors AHS bought and remodelled the house at 33134 Marshall Road in 1999, creating a Resource and Support Centre. In 2003 AHS retired the mortgage on the Marshall Road property thanks to the Rotary Club of Abbotsford.

With a view to expanding our services in the future AHS purchased the property on Westbury Avenue behind its existing centre. Thanks to Abbotsford resident the late Ella Lister we have retired this mortgage as well. Ella’s dream was to see advanced and sophisticated at-home palliative and bereavement care and a hospice residence in Abbotsford where palliative patients could receive the comprehensive support they need.

Currently the hospice residence (medical facility) where patients can spend their final days is located minutes away in the neighbouring city of Mission BC. Abbotsford palliative patients have the option to attend at Christine Morrison Hospice as this beautiful facility serves both the Abbotsford and Mission (see video, left column).

Volunteers and staff from both Mission Hospice Society and the Abbotsford Hospice society support families from their respective communities who are anticipating the death of a loved one or grieving a loss.

As leaders in bereavement and palliative support services the Abbotsford Hospice Society is building upon the diverse volunteer base that forms the foundation of our community support system. Abbotsford Hospice Society volunteers come from various backgrounds and cultures. Our companion volunteers, facilitators, trainers, staff. counsellors and educators bring unique and invaluable perspective to our work.

Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre

One of the aspects of our one-to-one companionship program involves hospital visiting and Abbotsford Hospice Society volunteers and staff will continue to provide this emotional, spiritual and practical support to patients and families at the new Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre (ARHCC).

The new hospital offers regional services such as the unique Tertiary Palliative Care Unit, which will open at the beginning of November 2008.

Involvement at the TPCU will include:

• Supporting patients and their families (with staff and volunteers);
• Attending rounds;
• Training and assigning volunteers;
• Providing complimentary therapies by qualified volunteers; and
• Planning and participating in memorial services

Additionally AHS will receive orientations for the specific wards where we will be visiting palliative patients e.g. oncology, general medicine ward (palliative beds).

Lastly AHS staff and volunteers will visit the ARH Emergency Room upon request from an ER social worker to provide support to families and friends who are anticipating an imminent death.

Overall ARHCC will provide a greater range of health services to Fraser Valley residents in a modern, healing environment to more than 150,000 residents in Abbotsford and more than 330,000 residents in the Eastern Fraser Valley. As part of the Fraser Health Abbotsford Palliative Care Team.

Abbotsford Hospice Society will provide bereavement and palliative support services to patients and their families.

Fundraising

As a non profit society focused on providing and promoting effective ways to cope with end of life we continue in our efforts to enhance our services and public education and provide free services to the City of Abbotsford. To that end, the Abbotsford Hospice Society holds three major fundraisers every year.

The fundraising year begins in February with the “Hearts for Hospice” Gala Benefit. In August AHS hosts the “Danielle Browne Memorial Golf Tournament” at Ledgeview Golf & Country Club. Each fall, a group of dedicated volunteers (two of which founded the “Hearts for Hospice” Committee) bring together fashions from local merchants and designers with the Envision Financial sponsored “Fashion Fantasy”.

AHS receives yearly gaming funds by way of a Bingo affiliation as well as varying amounts resulting from our yearly Direct Access grant application. As well have a contract for services with Fraser Health to assist us with recruiting, training and supporting our specialized palliative support volunteers.

In addition the Abbotsford Hospice Society gratefully accepts community support through individual and corporate donations that provide both program and capital funding. Every donation enables us to further our goals, increase our services as well as to train more volunteers and caregivers to build our pool of human resources on which we rely so much.

It is truly inspiring to see such a diverse community come together to show support for the services offered by AHS.

The Abbotsford Hospice Society acknowledges the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.