Hospice Home Visiting

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About this Program

SCHC’s Community Hospice Program team is dedicated to providing compassionate, respectful and holistic care for individuals and families in Scarborough who are facing life-limiting illness and grief.

We know that with the proper support, services and information, caring for someone to the end of life can be manageable and meaningful for all involved. We also believe that it is possible to learn to live with grief – a natural response to loss – if given safe and supportive opportunities to explore that grief in ways that make sense to you.

Registered professionals with specialized knowledge in Hospice Palliative Care, along with professionally screened and trained volunteers, work with you to ensure you can live fully, safely and confidently in the setting of your choice.

When you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, hospice palliative care promotes the best possible quality of life for you and your family when the focus shifts from curing to caring.

Your Journey. Your choices

We offer a variety of services:

Highly trained volunteers to provide companionship in the home (see below for more information)
Health System Nurse Navigation
Caregiver Support & Respite
Referrals to other community support services (i.e. Meals on Wheels, Seniors Health Promotion & Home Support)
Palliative Education & Palliative Pain & Symptom Management
Individual and group peer grief & bereavement support

Our volunteers are professionally screened and trained to provide in-home support to people living with a life-limiting illness. Each volunteer is matched with the same client for a three hour shift per week, and can assist with a variety of care needs. We may be able to increase the number of volunteers providing support, depending on volunteer availability and a client/families’ need.

Hospice Home Visiting Volunteers offer:

Companionship and active listening
Caregiver respite
Reading out loud, playing board games, doing arts and crafts
Playing and/or listening to music; watching movies and television
Assisting with writing, scrapbooking, story-telling and other legacy work

It is Never too Soon to Connect…

A diagnosis of a terminal illness affects not only you, but the entire family. Hospice is here to be with you on the journey. Our staff and volunteers will provide support in ways that are least intrusive to your present lifestyle. We believe and honour that you and your family are at the centre of care planning; which means you are in the ‘drivers’ seat’ and direct your care needs. Our Palliative Care Coordinator will visit to discuss the service that is available, and you can then decide when and how you would like to access support. Although you may decide to wait to access our program, you may wish to register with hospice and then simply call us when your needs change. There are no user fees for this service and you do not need a doctor’s referral or OHIP to access this program. Self and community referrals accepted. All referrals will be assessed for eligibility and linked to appropriate service.