(Photo: AHS)

By rdnewsNOW staff

end-of-life support

First hospice space comes to Rocky Mountain House

Nov 15, 2019 | 10:04 AM

Rocky Mountain House and area residents needing end-of-life support now have another care option.

The town’s first hospice suite has been created at Good Samaritan Clearwater Centre, as part of an agreement between Alberta Health Services (AHS), the Compassionate Care Hospice Society and The Good Samaritan Society.

“This new hospice space offers Rocky families the option of a private, home-like setting for receiving care in their final days, weeks or months,” says Mandy Ross, home care manager with AHS. “Family members can spend as much time as they like with their loved one to offer company and comfort.”

A hospice is a community-based care setting where a person diagnosed with a progressive, life-limiting illness can receive emotional, spiritual and physical support.

The space is a comfortable two-bedroom suite for the patient and up to three family members. With a bathroom, living room, pull-out bed, stove and fridge, the suite enables families to spend private, quality time with their loved ones.

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The suite at Good Samaritan Clearwater Centre supplements other Central Zone hospice spaces in Olds and Red Deer.

“Having worked toward this result for many years, we are thrilled,” says registered nurse Jillian Lawton, a Compassionate Care Hospice Society board member. “At some point, every family member needs end-of-life comfort and support, so our community has backed this in a big way.”

(Photo: AHS)

The Compassionate Care Hospice Society pays monthly fees for the room and provides furniture, medical equipment and comfort items. AHS provides care through its supportive living contracted provider, The Good Samaritan Society, which houses the space.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer this level of care to Rocky and area residents,” says Kiza Trentham, site manager at Good Samaritan Clearwater Centre. “People needing this service, and their families, will benefit from this healthcare partnership.”

Patients and families can access hospice care by contacting AHS home care at 403-845-3009, by asking their doctor for a referral, or by calling Health Link at 811 to discuss options.

(Tracy Kennedy, AHS)