If a resident of Kawartha Lakes requires a hospice residence, it’s a 42-kilometre trek to the nearest facility.
That’s just too long of a drive according to the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) which, alongside community partners, is calling for a hospice residence to be built in Kawartha Lakes.
As part of its advocacy efforts, the CCS has launched the “Bring Care Closer” campaign, which has involved installing a billboard on Highway 7 in Lindsay that illustrates the number of kilometres to the nearest hospice residence. The CCS is also running digital ads throughout the region to raise awareness about the need for a dedicated hospice residence.
“The (CCS) is deeply committed to ensuring everyone has access to hospice and palliative care close to home,” Daniel Nowoselski, CCS’s advocacy manager for hospice palliative care, told kawarthaNOW.
“In launching the Bring Care Closer campaign, we were especially keen to address gaps in communities where there’s a strong local advocacy effort, including organizations, professionals, volunteers, and families with lived experience. The work that Community Care Kawartha Lakes has done and the community that it has built in support of a bricks-and-mortar hospice residence has made the need incredibly clear.”
“With the Bring Care Closer campaign, the Canadian Cancer Society, our partners and community voices are hoping to push hospice care higher on the agenda for lawmakers and local residents,” Nowoselskie added.
In partnership with Ontario Health at Home and other home care providers, Community Care’s hospice services support patients at home in the community. Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay also “plays a vital role in delivering compassionate care” through its six in-patient palliative care beds, a media release noted.
However, with the nearest hospice residences located in Peterborough and Port Perry, “some families in Kawartha Lakes can face difficult choices or lengthy travel during a very sensitive time. A hospice residence within the community would provide a much-needed end-of-life option.”
Hospice residences provide a home-like environment that offers dignity and comfort for individuals receiving end-of-life care. These facilities are considered to be an essential option for those in the final stages of a life-limiting illness, providing pain and symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual support, and a place where patients can be surrounded by their loved ones.
Dr. Baldeep Paul, the palliative physician lead for the team of on-call physicians who works closely with the hospice services’ palliative care community team (PCCT), believes a local hospice residence would greatly benefit families.
“I have witnessed the profound impact that our (PCCT) has on patients and their families,” Paul said.
“Our team does an excellent job supporting patients in their preferred places of residence. However, there are times when a patient’s needs exceed what can be managed at home, and a hospital may not be the most appropriate setting. A local hospice residence would fill this gap and provide an additional option for families requiring more intensive care.”
John, a family member who experienced the care provided by hospice services, said, “the entire team was wonderful in helping us care for my dad at home for as long as possible. They coordinated so many services for us, which made a big difference.
“However, when his care needs became more complex, we found ourselves struggling with the absence of a hospice residence in our area,” John explained. “Travelling out of the area was not an option for us, and we wished for a place close by where he could have received care in a peaceful, home-like setting.”
Those interested in lending their support to the CCS’s campaign can send a letter to their elected official at cancer.ca/palliativecare.
“Ultimately, we hope the province of Ontario will come to the table to build a hospice residence in Kawartha Lakes, and to ensure it’s properly staffed with the caring nurses, doctors, PSWs and other care professionals necessary to give people compassionate, dignified and comfortable end-of-life care,” Nowoselski said.
According to the release, every region should have seven hospice beds per 100,000 people.
However, a November 2023 report from the CCS found that Ontario only has 3.47 beds per 100,000 people, which is below the national average.
