Huron Hospice Achieves Full Accreditation

by Bob Montgomery

Huron Hospice has recently been awarded full accreditation by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario for its In-Home Hospice Program.

Hospice Executive Director Willy Van Klooster says the In-Home Hospice Program was one of their first programs when it was launched thirty years ago. He says their volunteers were thoroughly trained through their provincial organization in order to be able to go into the homes of people who are somewhere along that end of life journey. Van Klooster says there's no question most people want to die at home and with the right supports in place, that's possible. Van Klooster says some of the things people really value are just having someone sit with them, talk to them and listen to them as they go through the very difficult last few days or weeks of their life.

Van Klooster says some people think because they have a hospice residence they aren't in support of dying at home but they very definitely are. He says sometimes the care that's required at home is more than the family can provide and the hospice is then an option rather than going to the hospital. But he adds, they do everything they can to keep people in their home as long as possible.

Van Klooster says receiving a full accreditation with no conditions is a very significant achievement. He adds having the seal of approval from their provincial association can provide people in Huron County additional confidence in the high standards of their programs and services. He explains in order to be accredited Huron Hospice needed to provide evidence to support 221 standards of service covering board governance, strategic planning, budgeting, code of conduct, conflict of interest, confidentiality, human resources, community consultations, staff and volunteer training, performance reviews, quality improvement, research, client feedback and more.

Van Klooster says they currently have forty volunteers providing care in the home and some of those volunteers might be looking after two people, but they are usually providing care for at least forty people throughout Huron County. He says they try to match a volunteer with someone close to their community and they also try to match people with common interests. He says recently they had someone who really liked singing so they matched her up with a volunteer who was a very good singer.

Van Klooster says the Hospice is the most visible part of what they do and many people assume that's all they do but the In-Home Program has been a big part of their overall program for several years, as is their Grief Work which supports people who have recently lost a loved one.

More information about their programs can be found on the Huron Hospice website.

photo courtesy of Huron Hospice