In order to help a new hospice in Elgin County flourish, Doug Terry Homes has donated $500,000.
To commemorate the “monumental donation,” executives from Doug Tarry Homes and Hospice of Elgin convened on Thursday in St. Thomas, Ontario.
Doug Tarry stated in a statement, “We know that many families experience this trying path with little help. “We regard constructing a hospice as a responsibility to guarantee that residents of our community and their families will receive care.
The province stated in September 2019 that the new facility would get $1. 6 million in capital financing to help with construction, development, equipment, and start-up costs to support continued fundraising for the $11 million project.
The money came from the $33.6 million pledged by the Ontario Ministry of Health to build 193 more hospice beds across the province.
However, according to representatives of St. Joseph’s Hospital-owned Hospice of Elgin,
Elgin is the only area in southwest Ontario without a hospice, according to Joseph’s Health Care Society, the same company that operates St. Joseph’s Health Care London and St. Joseph’s Hospice London.
Director of hospice partnerships for Hospice of Elgin Laura Sherwood remarked, “This is a key missing link in our community.” We also don’t have a palliative care unit in our hospital care, in addition to not having a hospice.
So, a lot of families in this town are really struggling.
She continued, “Quite frankly, here in Elgin County and St. Thomas, we had to do better. We know that many families are also being forced to leave the community to die in other places that are nearby.
The 16,000 square foot, 10-bed hospice is expected to be built at 2 South Edgeware Road, which is at the top of the slope leading to Waterworks Park.
The new facility, whose construction is scheduled to start in March 2023, will offer 24/7 end-of-life care in addition to a palliative care clinic, caregiver assistance, grieving and bereavement programmes, and other services. Any type of care can be provided either at home or in the neighbourhood.
Sherwood stated that planning has advanced at both board and committee levels and that they eagerly anticipate putting shovels to the ground in the coming spring.
One out of every 10 beds at our other hospices, we’ve discovered, belongs to a patient under the age of 45, the woman remarked. “We genuinely want to support all ethnicities, ages, and beliefs coming into hospice. We’re aiming to anchor not only a holistic style of care.
Sherwood continued, “This building is going to serve so many families, kids, and just the impact is so huge across so many different generations.”
“We’re so appreciative of the Doug Tarry team’s guidance and assistance as we go. ”
In considering the gift from her family and the benefits this facility will provide to families in the neighbourhood, Carolyne Tarry, a member of the hospice’s building committee, became emotional.
She stated, “We are honoured and truly lucky as a family to be able to accomplish this because it is sorely needed in the community.
It “fills her heart,” Tarry continued, for her family to be able to assist in meeting the community’s need for a hospice.
“It actually gives me chills because it’s an amazing opportunity to do something like this,” said Jennifer Weatherston, vice-president of operations at Doug Tarry Homes.
Everyone has dealt with a loved one who is terminally ill or has battled cancer at some point in their lives. Having a location in the neighbourhood where they can go and be treated with respect and have other family members around is essential.
“The Hospice of Elgin is scheduled to be finished in March 2024, providing for the care of about 500 families within the first year and another 400 families through programmes and services provided in their homes.
“This significant gift marks an incredible commitment to the community and will assist forward the work to create a hospice in Elgin County,” says Bill Graham, a prominent member of the community who serves on the board of directors for the Hospice of Elgin.
” For more information on the Hospice of Elgin, visit their website. — with materials from Matthew Trevithick of Global News.
$500K is donated by Doug Tarry Homes for a new hospice facility in St. Thomas.
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