Care Facilities and Hospice Houses
Hospice Centres
A hospice centre is a home-like place that provides specialized comfort care for people living with a life-limiting illness during the last weeks of their lives. The goal is to meet the dying person’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs and make their last days peaceful, comfortable and meaningful. Comfort care becomes the primary goal, which includes active management of all types of pain including physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological and financial. Comfort care also involves supporting the wishes of the dying person, their personal values and beliefs, and those of their loved ones.
“You matter because you are you and you matter to the last moment of your life. We will do all we can to help you, not only to die peacefully but to live until you die.”
Cicely Saunders – Founder of the Hospice Movement
Complex Care Facilities
Complex Care is referred to as extended care, intermediate care, long-term care or residential care. Complex care is provided in a community care facility. It provides a higher level of personal assistance than assisted living. Complex care is for people who require 24-hour supervision, personal nursing care and/or care by an interdisciplinary team including nursing, social work, spiritual support, recreational activities and complementary therapies (touch, music, art)
Assisted Living Facilities
Assisted living services include housing, hospitality services and one or two personal assistance services, such as regular assistance with activities of daily living, medication services, or psychosocial supports (referred to as prescribed services).
Independent/Supportive Housing
Independent/Supportive Living residences offer rental housing and usually one or more services to assist the resident. Possibly help with grooming, bathing, shopping, providing meals, transport to appointments, etc. Residents are independent for the most part, but may like to have, or require a little bit of assistance in their daily routines. It may be a multi-unit complex or a home residence with a couple suites or bedrooms that are rented out on a monthly basis. It is up to the individual residence to establish their own criteria as far as what they will or will not do for the resident. In considering such a residence it is important to get a written outline of what services are or are not available. You will also want to inquire into the staffing, security features, exit processes (e.g. if your health deteriorates can you bring staff in to assist you, or are you obligated to move out of the residence?)