Committed to Support In-Home Palliative Care

Earlier this year the OutCare Foundation announced its new commitment to support the delivery of palliative care to patients who have chosen to spend their last days at home with families and loved ones.

Since that announcement, OutCare reached out to our hospice network in the Champlain Health Region to understand more about their programs, their clients, and their resources. Through a questionnaire and follow-up interviews, OutCare confirmed that there are a number of dedicated hospice teams supporting these individuals and their loved ones with in-home palliative care. We also learned these teams have limited resources and often rely on the help of volunteers and family members.

While our research is still ongoing, some of the areas that require additional funding at the hospices in our community include:
• Laptops and tablets to facilitate virtual check-ins and counselling visits
• Funds for additional clinical staff
• Additional grief and bereavement training for staff and volunteers

OutCare recognizes the need to deliver palliative services into homes to ease the burden on the families and on the healthcare system. The fundraising focus will be to raise funds to support home-based palliative care programs provided by the hospices in the Champlain Health Region.

As OutCare moves forward with the new direction, donors, stakeholders, caregivers and policy makers will be kept informed as the funding programs are designed to support the new direction and commitment to those in the community who seek in-home care at the end of life.