Welcome to the first of two At Your Door anniversary editions. To reflect over the past 25 years at Hospice Toronto, we’re sharing incredible, inspiring stories that give a window into what we do, spotlight who has shaped the organization, and celebrate some exceptional contributions that have been made to our programs. Hospice Toronto started as a grassroots mobilization centred around one issue: the desire expressed by people in our community to receive support in their own homes, whether because they had cancer, HIV/AIDS, or simply a desire to die in
peace in familiar surroundings. Twenty-five years ago there were few palliative care programs in the city, and Hospice Toronto helped to fill that void. Today, we remain committed to anticipating and meeting the needs of an ever-changing community. Hospice Toronto has provided and advanced compassionate care and leadership in the volunteer-based, home hospice community through innovative programs
and services. We are constantly engaging, learning, training, and striving to meet the rapidly evolving needs in healthcare, while staying true to the original Hospice philosophy. Our original care team model has been interpreted to meet changing community need; this may now include care for those living longer with illness and their family caregivers, or adapting our care team model to reflect the preferences of individuals from diverse communities.
With this milestone anniversary we’re celebrating how our programs have grown. We offer a wider range of supports and a more integrated model of care as part of the broader healthcare community, still in support of in-home hospice care, but with a growing emphasis on caregivers and capable of an increased level of support over a much longer period of time. Our original care team model has been interpreted to meet changing community need.
We also continue to look at the emerging needs of our community, always evaluating how we can help to meet those needs, while staying within our resources. We are more relevant to the community today than ever before, especially given the shifting face of illness, and we’re not in it alone. As participants in the Integrated Client Care Project, as well as other collaborative service delivery programs, we work closely with palliative care physicians, the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), nurses and other hospices; and experts in mental health, disability, chronic illness, seniors and children’s services.
The board and staff at Hospice Toronto look forward to unveiling our new strategic plan in the fall, when we’ll share with you more plans for the future. What an exciting time for hospice care, a time to celebrate what we’ve done together, and how we can grow together.
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