Hospice House of Comfort Seeks Support
(PRWEB) July 16, 2005 -- Hospice of Little Traverse Bay (HOLTB)
has never had place of its own to call home. The inconvenience
of not having a permanent facility has caused confusion for
families seeking their services, the staff has to transport
materials to offsite support group meetings and privacy in
counseling sessions can be affected when holding appointments
in borrowed facilities.
To maintain the level of service the HOLTB programs have achieved,
the next step for HOLTB is to secure a “home”
of its own. The House of Comfort, House of Care will be a
place for patients and families to come for care and services.
The home will also be a place where HOLTB can, for the first
time, bring their staff, volunteers and service facilities
together under one roof in a permanent work environment and
improve productivity.
As the service area expands and more seniors come to live
(and die) in the Little Traverse Bay area, the demand for
HOLTB services is increasing dramatically. Other contributing
factors include the addition of new and unique programs to
meet patient/family needs and greater awareness of HOLTB as
an essential community resource, awareness attributable to
the important work HOLTB performs for area residents
Nationally, 75% of people express a preference for dying at
home but only 22-23% actually do. And while the majority of
hospice care will continue to be provided in patients’
homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and hospitals,
the need for a hospice house is quite real. There are those
who have their own homes, but the burden of care is too much
for their exhausted, stressed and frightened families.
For those who live alone without family nearby, for those
needing 24/7 care, for those who prefer a home-like setting
to that of a hospital or nursing home and for those who may
not have a home of their own, the hospice residence would
be a better way to spend their last days…in a residence
that acts as their home and one that offers the comforts of
home with the best possible care.
The HOLTB hospice house will have six patient bedrooms and
will also house a Community Grief & Loss Center, the place
to come for answers, guidance and counsel. The house would
facilitate individual counseling, support groups, educational
workshops and an expanded resource library all in one location.
The patient bedrooms would be individualized, each with a
private bath and decorated with the comforts of home…a
place where patients are comforted and where hospice families
can create lasting memories, share laughter and tears and
find the peace of life in its final stages.
Land near the NMH Lockwood-MacDonald campus has been acquired
from Northern Michigan Hospital. Architectural drawings, floor
plans, city of Petoskey approval and DEQ approval are already
signed, sealed and delivered so final plans, permits and other
documentation are in hand.
Over 54% of the funding necessary to make HOLTB’s “House
of Comfort, House of Care” a reality is already in place.
The needs are real, the time is now and, at this point, it
all comes down to raising the balance of the funding required
to proceed with the project.
The goal of HOLTB’s hospice house campaign is to raise
the $3.5 million needed for construction of the building plus
$1 million for an operating endowment to ensure the financial
stability of the project into the future. To meet these goals,
financial gifts of any size are needed to help make this dream
come true.
For more information on how you can help the House of Comfort,
House of Care become a reality, visit www.hospiceltb.org
or call (231) 487-4825.
Company Name: HARBOR SPRINGS WEB DESIGN
Website: http://www.hospiceltb.org
