Waterloo Region hospice marks milestone for end-of-life care

Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice support those with terminal illness and their families. CTV’s Ashley Bacon has more on a major milestone.

Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice have been supporting residents with terminal illnesses in Waterloo Region, and their families, for a combined 35 years.

Their goal is provide compassionate palliative care for individuals and their loved ones through the end-of-life-journey.

“It’s an honour to be with somebody when they’re passing,” said Sherry Ezekiel, a personal support worker at the hospice.

While the transition is difficult, staff are there to help.

“There’s a lot of grief and a lot of sadness, but at the same time, we try and help them celebrate some of the things that they would normally want to celebrate, whether that’s a birthday or an anniversary, and to bring a little bit of happiness into that journey,” said Executive Director Maria Empringham.

Innisfree Hospice in Kitchener has been around for a decade and Lisaard Hospice has been serving the Cambridge community for 25 years.

The two facilities can support up to 400 people a year, with 16 beds between them, and the need keeps rising due to an aging and growing population.

“There’s always an ongoing waitlist and there’s probably at least 15 to 20 people on that waitlist,” Empringham said.

George Skinner lost his partner three years ago. After her passing, he began attending special sessions offered at Innisfree.

“It was my daughter that said to me, ‘You know what? You’ll like it. What’s wrong with that?’ And I do,” he said.

Staff believe healing the mind and soul is an important part of the grieving process.

“It isn’t all about the physical body that’s part of us,” Skinner said. “I found that was quite nourishing.”

“It’s an option for people to be able to come together and connect with people that have experienced the same thing that they have, make some new friendships and just come and have some social time with others who can relate to what they’re going through,” Empringham said.

For every dollar the hospice spends, the provincial government provides a 48 cent subsidy. The remaining $2 million needed to operate the facilities annually is funded through community partners.