Welcome to Hospice Ma�ers

The Largest Single Dona�on made to

Hospice Care in Canada

On October 2, 2013, over

100 people gathered at

110 McCurdy to hear the

exci�ng announcement of

the largest gi ever

received by a hospice in

Canada.

Philanthropists John Ruddy and Bill Shenkman donated

$1 million to the Hospice O*awa West Campaign and

will have the new hospice located at 110 McCurdy in

Kanata named in their honour.

Our Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice is currently being

renovated to accommodate our administra�ve offices.

We will then bring in the community programming and

finally add the residen�al wing, to be named Hein

House, to the building that will house 10 hospice beds.

We are over halfway to our $6 million goal to complete

the first phase of a city-wide plan to increase the

number of hospice beds available in O*awa.

To make a dona�on, please visit our website at

www.hospicecareo�awa.ca or call 613-260-2906 x 222

November 2013 —Issue #1

It is my pleasure to introduce to you

the first newsle*er of our new

amalgamated organiza�on– Hospice

Care O*awa. Thanks to the hard work

and dedica�on of our staff and

volunteers we have created this new

publica�on to update you about

what’s happening in Hospice Care

O*awa, connect you with informa�on

about hospice pallia�ve care and share

ideas about how you can con�nue to support hospice.

It has been a very busy first year for our new

organiza�on. We have opened our Central West Hospice

site at the Embassy West Seniors Living facility with ten

beds in a newly renovated space on the first floor. We

have purchased our west end site at 110 McCurdy for our

future full service hospice and thanks to our amazing

benefactors have aptly named it the Ruddy-Shenkman

Hospice. We are grateful for con�nued support from the

May Court Club of O*awa with their $100,000 dona�on

to the May Court Hospice this year and the use of their

beau�ful space in Old O*awa South. And most

importantly in less than a year we provided services

directly to over 500 people in our community. All this

because you and our community believe in hospice -

believe that we can and should provide the best support

possible for those at end of life. I was reminded recently

of a quote from Desmond Tutu which I think sums it up

“Isn’t goodness exci�ng!”

However, the issues of euthanasia and physician assisted

suicide have once again been in the news with recent

press coverage of the death of Dr. Donald Low and his

desire to have the choice for help to end his life; and with

the Quebec Government’s current debate over Bill 52.

As such I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a li*le

about our philosophy of hospice pallia�ve care.

Our mission for Hospice Care O*awa is to help people

through their end of life journey by providing

compassionate high quality care. Our agreement with

clients and families states that this care aims to neither

hasten death nor prolong life. Did you know that today,

only 16% to 30% of Canadians who die currently have

access to or receive hospice pallia�ve and end-of-life

care services 1? Even fewer receive grief and

bereavement services. In O*awa alone we know that we

are in need of at least 30 more hospice beds to meet

growing needs. The Canadian Hospice Pallia�ve Care

Associa�on has launched a campaign which promotes

Talking about Hospice Pallia�ve Care First rather than

deba�ng euthanasia and assisted suicide when so many

Canadians lack access to high quality care at the end of

life. There are a number of excellent resources at:

www.chpca.net/hpcfirst

At Hospice Care O*awa it is our responsibility and

privilege to be present for those who are facing serious

illness and grief. Thank you for helping us to con�nue to

do so.

1 Canadian Ins�tute for Health Informa�on. Health Care Use at the End of Life in Western

Canada, O*awa, CIHI, 2007.

For the most up to date news & informa�on, please visit our website www.hospicecareo�awa.ca

Lisa Sullivan,

Execu�ve Director

Hospice Care O�awa Sites

Central West Hospice

1400 Carling Ave.

O*awa, ON K1Z 7L8

Phone: 613-688-4379

May Court Hospice

114 Cameron Ave.

O*awa, ON K1S 0X1

Phone: 613-260-2906

Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice

110 McCurdy Drive

Kanata, ON K2L 2Z6

Phone: 613-591-6002

www.hospicecareo*awa.ca

Hospice Care O�awa

Board of Directors

Chris Warburton - Chair

Janet Dunbrack - Vice Chair

J. Lynn Thomson - Secretary

Amy Desjardins

Bernie Blais

Dawn Cooper

Heni Nadel

John Laframboise

Karen Nelson

Linda Schumacher

Michael Pentland

Randy Tivy

Sheila Brady

Tracy Arne*

Ex Officio Members

Jose Hamilton, Past President,

The May Court Club of O)awa

Dr. Andrew Mai, Medical Advisor

Lisa Sullivan, Execu�ve Director

Dr. José Pereira, Medical Chief

Pallia�ve Care Program, Bruyère Con�nuing

Care and The O)awa Hospital

Charitable Registra�on # 11896 3701 RR0001

PAGE 2

Hospice Care O�awa’s First Annual General Mee�ng

Over 150 people packed an Embassy West mee�ng room on September 26 to

a*end our first Annual General Mee�ng (AGM). In fact, a major agenda item was

a vote on the new name for the organiza�on, which overwhelmingly confirmed us

as Hospice Care O*awa. Board Chair Chris

Warburton and Execu�ve Director Lisa Sullivan

thanked the many volunteers, partners, donors,

and staff who made near-miracles happen in the

past 12 months, from acquiring the McCurdy site,

to opening ten beds at the Central West Hospice,

to mee�ng the fundraising goals. The evening also

saw five new directors voted to the board and one

bade farewell. Charles Armstrong is re�ring from

many years of board work to pursue other

interests, including the bagpipes. In recogni�on of

this hidden talent, the Board surprised him and

everyone present when a kilted bagpiper entered

the room to pipe Charles farewell.

Towards the end of the mee�ng, Leanne Kitchen

Clarke, Project Manager for The Way Forward

Integra�on Ini�a�on gave a special presenta�on

on her work to bring pallia�ve care to those

whose path towards life’s end is not so clear.

“As the popula�on ages, “ she said, “more and

more people will benefit from pallia�ve principles

used more broadly in all health care seXngs at all

stages of care.”

Finally, a treat a er the mee�ng adjourned was a

ribbon cuXng ceremony and a chance to catch a

glimpse of the fresh, new Central West Hospice

site. This loca�on has a separate entrance and,

with 10 bedrooms, it more than doubles the total

number of hospice beds available in O*awa one

year ago. As Charles Armstrong said in his farewell

comments to the Board, “We’ve come a long way

over the past couple of decades and the future

looks hopeful. “But,” he con�nued, “we’ll never

really get to the future. The city will keep changing

around us and we’ll always need more and more.”

Phil Rossy, Execu�ve Director of Embassy

West and Chantale LeClerc, CEO of the

Champlain LHIN, cut the ribbon for the

grand opening of our new ten bed

residence at our Hospice Care O*awa,

Central West site.

Chris Warburton, Hospice Care O*awa

Board Chair with Board Members Lynn

Thompson, Janet Dunbrak, Heni Nadel

and Lisa Sullivan, Execu�ve Director cut

the cake at the Central West residence

grand opening.

John Virag, Charles Armstrong and

Michael Pentland at the first Hospice

Care O*awa Annual General Mee�ng.

DID YOU KNOW? We work with our regional partners (Bruyère Con�nuing Care

and the Community Care Access Centre-CCAC) on a central referral and triage system

(CRT) for people needing hospice beds. To be eligible for a hospice bed people are: a

client of CCAC, have the presence of an incurable, progressive disease, and are near the

end of life (last days or weeks of life), have needs which cannot be met at home even

with maximum CCAC services or have a preference not to die at home.

People can be referred to the CRT via their family doctor, their CCAC case worker or

another health care professional. Once referred the staff at CRT take into considera�on

peoples wishes and needs and recommend to hospice if appropriate.

PAGE 3

Hospice: The term Hospice comes from a medieval

word for a place of shelter for travelers on a long

and difficult journey.

Two Care & Share Bereavement Retreats on Sept. 18 and

Oct. 2, 2013. Forty-nine guests enjoyed the beau�ful

weather and par�cipated in the numerous ac�vi�es

meant to help those grieving the loss of a loved one to

heal in a suppor�ve environment. Thank you to everyone

who helped to make these retreat days special.

“This retreat was great. Upli�ing and informa�ve. Keep up the good work”

“Hospice Care O&awa.”

The New Air Miles Cards are Here!

The new Hospice Care O*awa Air Miles

collector cards are available. By using this card

we will be able to accumulate points to help

send our nurses to conferences and purchase supplies

for our programs and services.

To get your new card please visit one of our sites or call

613-260-2906 ext. 232

Welcome to our New Volunteers!

Congratula�ons to Hospice Care O*awa’s Fall 2013

graduates of our thirty hour Hospice Pallia�ve Care

Course. Fi y volunteers commi*ed to four full Saturdays

of training and are now prepared to provide compassion-

ate support to people and their family effected by a life

limi�ng illness. Thank you our new volunteers for the

�me you dedicated to the course and the �me you are

about to give to our Hospice Care O*awa and our clients.

Our Holiday Wish List

New items can be donated or a monetary dona�on for

the value.

• Grocery store gi cards for our Day Hospice

programs

• New nightgowns (all sizes for men and women)

• Medical equipment & supplies

(please visit our website for a detailed list)

• 4 overbed tables

• 2 privacy Screens

• 5 tea cosy’s for large teapots

• 2 large teapots

• Electric ice crushers

• RONA gi cards for renova�ons

• Lee Valley gi cards for our hospice gardens’ needs

• $400 Winter Fresh Flower Fund or $25 per

week to maintain flower and plants in

client rooms and around our hospices.

If you are a part of an organiza�on wishing to make a

dona�on, please consider funding:

• One week of Day Hospice for 15 clients: $1000

• One week of Residen�al Hospice Care for a

Client: $2800

• Bereavement counselling sessions for someone

who is experiencing grief: $1500

For a complete detailed list of our Wish List please visit

our website www.hospicecareo�awa.ca

If you are interested in dona�ng any of the above gi s,

please contact Kim Sheldrick at 613-260-2906 ext. 223

or kim.sheldrick@o*awahospice.ca

ACCOUNT # HCO

Present this card to receive a 5% discount on

most purchases & RONA will make a matching

dona�on to Hospice Care O�awa.

The May Court Hospice was the

winning nominee for the 2012 ‘Best

Non-Profit Volunteer Program’ at the

annual Volunteer O*awa ‘VOSCARs’

held on September 26, 2013 at the

Canadian Avia�on Museum.

Thank you to our generous donors who allow us to con�nue

to provide our programs and services at no charge.

To make a dona�on, please visit our website at

www.hospicecareo�awa.ca or call 613-260-2906 x 222.

Hospice Care O)awa provides all programs and services to the community at no charge. We receive a

por�on of our funding from the Champlain LHIN and raise the rest through dona�ons and special events.

10th Annual Fall Fashion Show &

Luncheon raised over $18,300

Hospice Care O*awa Director of Event Planning, Ruth

Cameron, is a driving force behind the success of the

annual Fashion Show & Luncheon. The event took place

on October 20, 2013 at Irish Hills Golf & Country Club

and raised $18,370 for the programs and services that

Hospice Care O*awa provides at no charge. Thank you

to our fashion provider The White Lilly in Almonte, to

our generous donors & sponsors, to our guests and our

volunteers who helped make the day fabulous!

PAGE 4

The 11th annual Homes for

the Holidays tour took place

on November 15, 16 and 17,

2013. Par�cipants toured six

breathtaking O*awa homes,

exquisitely decorated for the

holidays. The tour was a

great success! Thanks to all who helped make this

happen. For more informa�on on final fundraising totals

and pictures from the event, please visit our website

www.hospicecareo�awa.ca

Special Events

This card is valid for the 5%

discount at the following stores:

Rona Home & Garden Rona Home & Garden

1880 Innes Rd 585 West Hunt Club Rd.

Gloucester, ON Nepean, ON

613-741-6331 613-225-5636

Please visit our website for more informa�on

www.hospicecareo�awa.ca

Monday, December 9, 2013

4:00-6:00 p.m. or 7:00-8:30 p.m.

May Court Hospice, 114 Cameron Ave.

Please join our warm evening of remembrance as we

honour loved ones and friends. This is a meaningful

event where a beau�ful evergreen tree will be lit with

lights and we will create a Memory Wall with the names

of the individuals we remember this holiday season. We

encourage you to a*end to enjoy the readings and music

to celebrate the season and offer serenity for all.

Bruyère Day Radiothon

The 10th

annual Bruyère Day

Radiothon raised an

astounding $5,546,388 in

support of pa�ent care,

research at Bruyère

Con�nuing Care and the

building of the Ruddy-

Shenkman Hospice in the

west end of O*awa for Hospice Care O*awa. Over $3

million dollars of this year's Bruyère Day Radiothon

is designated to the Hospice O*awa West Campaign to

build an urgently needed full service hospice in the west

end of our community. To date, the campaign has raised

$3.8 million dollars towards its $6 million dollar goal.

Important to the success of this year’s event was the

announcement of a $500,000 gi from Barbara Hein, wife of

the late Roly Hein. This dona�on from the Hein family will

be used towards the building of the 10-bed residence at the

Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice currently under construc�on in

Kanata. The residence will be named “Hein House” in

honour of this tremendous generosity.

The telethon took place at St. Laurent

Shopping Centre on Nov. 1 and was

broadcasted on CFRA from 6am-7pm.