FRANÇAIS

Dear Friends, 

Thank you for another wonderful year. Your continued belief in our cause is much appreciated, and as a community you are very inspiring. You are loyal and dedicated and are people who care for others during their most difficult times. Thank you for caring for the individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families we serve. Because of you, we can continue to provide our programs and services at no charge to them. 

​Our 2022-2023 Fiscal year included incredible moments - many special garden visits by residents, a wedding between two long-time lovers, laughter and singing by and from Day Hospice guests, and so much more! Sadly, we also weathered some storms, mainly the storm in May of 2022, that resulted in damage to our Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice.
 
While this situation was disappointing and scary, this was yet another example of how our community continues to rally together to get a job done and support one another. In times of trouble, some great things still came out of it – residents formed special friendships and were able to meet outside by Gayle’s Garden for a special Garden tea (see photo below).​

Click here to view
our one-pager.

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Welcome to Your Impact 2022-2023, our Annual Report to the Community which covers stories, financial information and the impact you have made on Hospice Care Ottawa from April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023.

This expanded digital year in review, expands on our one-pager (click image on the left to review), allowing us to highlight all your amazing accomplishments in more detail, while saving on printing costs to ensure optimal use of donor dollars. As you know, we rely on donors, volunteers and staff to thrive, and we hope you enjoy reading about all of the people you've helped over the year.

Please be sure to visit and review the content in all four tabs below. If you would prefer to receive this in print, please email us your request.  

We hope you enjoy our Annual Report to the Community and hope to see you again soon. 

Sincerely, ​

Benoît Hubert
Board Chair

Lisa Sullivan
Executive Director

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• Delivering Compassionate Care​
• YOU Make it Happen
• Our Year in Numbers
• Our Stories

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Thanks to YOU!

Your generous support allows volunteers and staff to provide the best in-class care and compassion to individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families. In this section, we will take you on a tour around Hospice Care Ottawa and share stories about the lives you have lifted, smiles you have created, and the life-long impact you have made in our various program areas. 

Day Hospice​

Day Hospice brings JOY to everyone involved, not just the guests who participate in the weekly program. The staff and volunteers leave the day feeling happy and fulfilled but so do the wonderful community volunteers who come in to do specialized sessions with our Day Hospice guests. 

From hair dressers to speakers to healers to virtual reality gurus to artists sharing their tricks of their craft to musicians, etc., all the way to the visitors and staff working in nearby offices – EVERY person who sees the magic of the program is continuously smiling overhearing the laughter, fun and comradery. Day Hospice brings joy to everyone at Hospice Care Ottawa, while also providing important personal time for our guest’s caregivers to attend to their own needs. 
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Feedback from Day Hospice guests continues to be very positive - 98% of clients/caregivers receiving Day Hospice services felt their needs were met. Barry, who has attended Day Hospice at Ruddy-Shenkman Hospice since 2016, shares that being a part of the Day Hospice program, "not only helps with palliative care but also with how to live well with illness care". He also sees how palliative-hospice care helps his peers at Day Hospice, and feels thankful that some get to be served all the way from diagnosis and arrival to Day Hospice program, to end-of-life care in Residence at our Hein House. ​Read more about Barry in our upcoming Fall Newsletter. 

"Thank you to May Court Hospice for supporting Denis at the end of his life. Denis passed away at his home on Saturday morning. It is inconceivable that we will have to carry on without him, but we are comforted by the thought that he truly lived his life to the full and left an incredible legacy of care, courage and love.
 
The May Court Day Hospice program had a profound and positive impact on Denis. He has always enjoyed being part of a group and loved participating in this program. We sincerely thank you and your team for all you have done for us and for Denis."

- Ken & Francine, Parents of Denis

Denis, a passionate musician, was 35 years old. Click below to hear him play for Day Program participants during one of his last visits.

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Grief, Bereavement & Family Support Team

Caregivers and family members are often surprised to learn we have individual counselling available to them, and at no charge. This is thanks to your generous donations. "Our Family Support Counsellors are happy to be a “neutral” person for the individuals we care for and/or their family members to speak openly to about their feelings who aren't family or friends (although this support is also crucial). We are people they can be honest with, without fear of judgement", Shirley Chennette, Family Support Team Lead. 

One story we won't soon forget was of a younger family who had decided that mom would die at home but as things progressed, the family changed their mind. Fortunately, we were able to get her into our Residential Hospice care for about one day before she died. While this was a huge loss for her husband and two young children, they now have access to our Family Support Team counselling as long as they need, which helps make a very sad situation a little bit easier.​​

Our Grief & Bereavement Coordinator and volunteers hosted walks, retreats, reflection sessions and more. Heartfelt feedback from someone who attended a spousal loss group session shared, “Thanks is not sufficient to express the gratitude I have for having had this opportunity”. Staff and volunteers often hear about people who meet in these sessions who then go on to build wonderful relationships through shared experiences and socialize outside of the group and build nurturing friendships with one another. This peer support is invaluable, as is what you do for these people thanks to your generous donations. ​

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In-Home Support

We know that many people want to stay at home for as long as possible. For them, receiving regular visits from highly-trained Hospice volunteers, under the care and oversight of a Registered Nurse, is a life-saver in a system where home care is stretched. Our survey we conducted amongst clients who use this service determined that 99% of individuals and/or their caregivers receiving In-Home Support services felt their needs were met by Hospice Care Ottawa. ​

• "The ongoing support of a dedicated volunteer is a constant in a world where different care providers come in and out of our home."

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Residence Care

Thanks to our supporters, staff and volunteers, we were able to serve 281 individuals in Residence this year, helping to relieve family members of the caregiving roles and tasks, and allowing them to focus on being the son, daughter, parent, husband, and/or wife they always were to their loved one. Your gift of care and compassion has allowed people to focus on what is most important during these last moments.  

Seventy-three percent of admissions to Residence were from people still living at home, which means your support has helped people access professional, 24-hour care. Coming from home, residents may have been totally dependent on their caregivers or various visiting heath care professionals. We know that being at Hospice Care Ottawa means specialized care and compassion delivered by a more limited number of health care professionals and volunteers. While our average length of stay is 18 days, our median is 9 days which is most representative of the length of stay we see most often. 

Thank you to the 111 specially trained Residence Volunteers. Together, this group of champions volunteered almost 11,000 hours which adds up to almost 14 months of time spent delivering specialize care and compassion to our residents and their family members. 

"I can never thank the nurses, volunteers and doctors who cared for my sister Phyllis at the end of her life. She felt like she was in a five-star hotel with all the attention she received. Knowing that she was comfortable and content meant so much to the family. Maison May Court Hospice is a first-class facility and Phyllis' family will never forget the care we all received."

"Thank you for the excellent care our father is receiving at Hospice. Our family is truly grateful to know he will finally find comfort and peace in your care".

Donors Make it Happen

We rely on donations to provide care and comfort to the individuals and families we serve. Thank you for your continued support of our organization and the things we do. Here are some of the interesting facts about how our small but mighty community successfully raised $2,381,553.  

We also want to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to our donors who have planned their philanthropy in advance. We are so honoured to receive gifts like this during one's lifetime and beyond - this is a powerful way to positively impact the future of Hospice Care Ottawa.

To learn more about various ways to support Hospice Care Ottawa in the future, please click here and scroll down halfway to read more about the various opportunities, and/or please reach out to our Director, Fund Development & Communications Hilary Evans, to learn more.  

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Our Vital Volunteers

Once again, our volunteers contributed an amazing number of hours in all areas of Hospice Care Ottawa. Our volunteers have contributed three years of time within one year - thank you! Of all hours, 57% were spent delivering direct care to the individuals and families we serve. Thank you to these wonderful souls! Also, during this period, 56 volunteers completed their 30 hours of Core Training to enable them to provide direct care to people we serve.

We love celebrating our volunteers!

Below we have photos from our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event that was held during Volunteer Week. In the second photo we have volunteer Rosy Ireland receiving her appreciation certificate for 30 years of volunteering at Hospice Care Ottawa from Lisa and Benoît. Lastly, is the group who represented us at the 2022 HPCO Conference, including June Callwood Award Winner, Tony Greig. 

Thank you to our Board of Directors at Hospice Care Ottawa. Click each name below to learn more about why our Board of Directors are involved with Hospice Care Ottawa.

Benoît Hubert	Chair
Wendy Nicklin	Vice-Chair
​Stephanie Elyea	Treasurer
Ioanna Sahas Martin	Secretary
Bruno Carchidi Jocelyne Contant William Cuff Barbara Hogberg Sylvie Lalonde Barbara McNally Susan Murray ​Michael Pentland Melissa Salvatore  Lynne Toupin	Directors
Dr. Daniel Vincent, Medical Director Lisa Sullivan, Executive Director Christine Beelen, Past President / The May Court Club of Ottawa	Ex-Officio Members

Our Year in Numbers

Laughter filling the room from Day Hospice guests, loved ones receiving counselling at no charge and long-time lovers being married at our Hein House would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters. Every event, in-memoriam donation, gift in someone’s will, no matter the size, makes a HUGE impact on the care we provide for individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families we serve.

Thank you for the continued support, we are incredibly grateful to be surrounded by such a strong, caring community!

The following is a breakdown of the Ottawa Hospice's revenues and expenses for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. For a more detailed report, please click here to view our audited financial statements.

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Celebrating our Special Events - Hike, Holes & Homes!

Hike for Hospice was virtual on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Thank you to our participants for your ongoing dedication to the cause. With each conversation about Hike for Hospice, you are raising awareness for our special cause. 

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Holes for Hospice was hosted by the Ottawa District Funeral Service Association, who were thrilled to welcome the new Presenting Sponsor, "The Elizabeth Hale Family". Dave Hale, CEO of Craft & Crew, was happy to get involved in the annual tournament to honour his mom Elizabeth, who spent her last days at Hein House. ​

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Homes for the Holidays & Pop-Up Shop was back at it for another successful year! The Homes for the Holidays Home Tour went virtual for a third year in a row which allowed the community to view beautifully decorated homes by local florists, while supporting the signature event! The Pop-Up Shop thrived as we welcomed back savvy shoppers to purchase baked goods, crafts and various items from local vendors while supporting the event! ​

Your Impact on Care

Your generosity has an impact on the individuals and families we serve, every day. We love to share stories about how you've helped others and continued to advance our mission of caring for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families, free of charge. If you'd like to find out more, or keep up to date with the latest news, please click here.

“I want to thank you and your incredible team of caregivers for bringing Barb dignity and compassion in her most difficult time. Sometimes in life, we get little glimpses of the best humanity has to offer. They come out of nowhere and ask for nothing in return. Three weeks ago, I had never heard of May Court Hospice. When I first heard about it, my reaction was "NO", I will not send my wife elsewhere to die. After discussing the subject with our doctor, I was convinced that I could be a better husband by being a husband and letting you do the work. During the two weeks Barb and I spent with you, I was constantly in awe of the care, love and tenderness everyone showed Barb. You are ALL incredible. Our eternal gratitude".
- Rick, husband of a former resident

• "Thank you for taking such good care of my grandfather during the last few weeks he spent with us. Your care and kindness really helped to make a difficult situation more bearable for my mother, aunts and uncle. The family will never forget the good care you gave him.
  - Granddaughter

A Look Back into 2022 - 2023

Please scroll up and be sure to read all four tabs. 

Thank you for your continued support of the Ottawa Hospice. Do you like our new format?
Let us know by sending an e-mail to info@hospicecareottawa.ca.

Will you be attending the AGM on October 4, 2023? To find out more, click here.