Community Spotlight: Pilgrims Hospice
Family-Centred End-of-Life Care at Roozen Family Hospice Centre
Park Memorial Funeral Home hosts a Christmas Memorial Service every December to give the families that we have served over the past few years, as well as the community-at-large, the opportunity to gather together to remember their loved ones who have passed away.
For the past two years, we decided to support three local organizations while also allowing our families to pay meaningful tribute to their loved ones via our memorial donation. In order to choose which organizations we would support, we first gave our staff family a list of local organizations and asked them to vote on their top three. The vote netted that Roozen Family Hospice Centre – Pilgrims Hospice, Edmonton Food Bank, and Aspen Service Dogs would be the benefitting organizations. We then gave each family who RSVP’d for the service the opportunity to choose which of the three charities would best honour their loved one with our memorial donation.
On January 18th a few members of our staff family delivered the corporate donation as well as the list of loved ones that each donation honoured to each of the three organizations. Each organization gave some time to our team to explain more about who and how they serve, and answer our questions about their impact in the community, how this memorial donation will help them, and what the greatest needs of the organization are at present. Here is the story of our time with Pilgrims Hospice:
In the early 1990’s, Dr. Helen Hays, Marion Boyd, and Patricia Lynch Ordynec recognized the need for truly dignified end-of-life care for those with terminal illnesses, as well as ongoing support for their grieving families. In 1994 the women registered Pilgrims Hospice and began running programs to fulfill this mission out of a basement space rented from a convent. When the convent was demolished in August 2019, the organization moved to a temporary location, and construction commenced to develop the ideal facility to provide the care that the founders had dreamed of.
In February of 2021, the Roozen Family Hospice Centre was opened, becoming Edmonton’s first residential community hospice. It was a privilege to be warmly welcomed in for a full tour of this innovatory facility, and gain a deeper understanding of how their approach to care impacts individuals, families, and our greater Edmonton community.
A fire jumped and flickered in the wide fireplace, and a comforting aroma of homemade soup beckoned from some unseen simmering pot; the icy winter air which had blustered in behind us was quickly engulfed by the warmth. It felt like stepping into a familiar relative’s cherished home.
Our group was greeted in the foyer with kind smiles and introductions. “We rarely ever say, ‘no,’” the administrator mentioned as the Thursday afternoon bar cart trundled past our group. “Sometimes we say, ‘maybe not today,’ but I don’t think I’ve ever really heard a hard ‘no.’”
The Roozen Family Hospice Centre is run entirely through charitable donations and grants. Stewardship of the facility and its residents is overseen by a number of dedicated staff in addition to over 100 volunteers actively devoting their time and skills. An RN, an LPN, and 2 additional healthcare aids are scheduled on each shift, with direct support volunteers there to assist up until 8:00 p.m.
There are 12 intuitively designed private suites in the facility, these have been created with intentional consideration to allow for any potential mobility limitations or medical equipment, and to comfortably accommodate family members—even pets—who may wish to stay by their loved one’s side. Thoughtful amenities are everywhere, such as Cuddle Beds, which can expand at the push of a button allowing family members, loved ones, or pets to sit or lie beside their loved one. The additional furniture in the suite can be converted into a bed with ease, as well.
When an individual is given the difficult prognosis where their treatment options have narrowed and their life expectancy comes down to just a few months, they may apply for residency at the Roozen Family Hospice Centre. Intake is based on greatest need, and the average length of stay is just 29 days.
One of the first simple luxuries requested by many residents is a spa treatment. In one of two spacious spa rooms designed and equipped to make the joy of a quiet bubble bath accessible to all, residents often choose to spend their first moments at the Hospice Centre soaking in the restful and calming ambiance—aromatherapy, soft music, fairy lights and salt lamps—while receiving high-quality hygienic care.
In the kitchen, a new pot of homemade soup is made every day; it simmers invitingly throughout the day. The menu rotates on a four-week basis to ensure that meals and treats are varied and interesting for residents and their families. If they are mobile, residents can come and go throughout the day and take snacks from the pantry. Or, for anyone with limited mobility, meals are served directly to their rooms at mealtimes, or food and snacks can be brought down to them upon request. Everything stocked in the kitchen is entirely free to take, or people can also bring in their own food. Bonton Bakery donates pastries, cookies, treats and sweets for the tea cart. During the holidays, special feasts are prepared for residents and families; everything for the holiday meals is donated by FreshCo.
The courtyard is a beautiful space where residents and their families can go; to gather for a wedding, or to hear the live music performances by members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, or simply for one’s own quiet contemplation. The courtyard has also been a silent witness to the passing of souls; it is not uncommon for residents request to be outdoors as they pass away, so the doors were intentionally designed to be wide enough to allow a bed to be easily rolled through.
When a resident passes, a sunflower wreath is placed on the door outside their room until that person can be brought into the care of a funeral home. The sunflower wreath is a symbol that a resident has recently moved on and their physical self is within the suite, waiting to be released into care. This way, staff and volunteers can be mindful, and they may choose to silently pay their respects as they walk by.
Once the funeral home attendants arrive, the deceased is brought to the front of the building with care and reverence, where the staff gather for the Walk of Honour; a deeply respectful and dignified farewell. Once all sentimental words have been spoken over the resident and goodbyes have been said, a final poem is recited for them and then the witnesses in attendance all walk out with them through the front door and witness their departure.
People enter through the front door, so they are also always given the dignity of passing through the front door as they leave… This practice challenges the common social norms of keeping any sign of death out of sight. Instead, the stewards of Pilgrims Hospice have established a beautiful tradition of holding time, space, and reverence for those they have served.
Family members of residents are also enveloped in care by the stewards of Pilgrims Hospice as they begin their own journeys with the grief of loss; the support begins with the time they spend at Pilgrims with their loved one.
Spaces such as this one, The Reflection Room, are intentionally provided for residents and their families to reflect, express emotion, or spend time together in comfort.
In the family room, the couch doubles as an overnight bed with washrooms conveniently available nearby for guests' use.
Free massage therapy is offered for family members, a service made accessible thanks to certified RMT volunteers.
The commitment to holistic support for families is considerate of children and teenagers, acknowledging that grief touches our lives at all stages. The facility has a dedicated activity room for young kids and a separate reflection and expression room tailored for teens. These spaces provide the opportunity for kids and teens to connect with their own feelings, an environment where young ones can spend time with others their age, share the difficult experiences they are going through, and relate to each other.
Families are connected to an extensive network of support through community programs facilitated by Pilgrims Hospice, including music and art therapy. They also offer an 8-week support program designed just for teenagers. Anyone in our Edmonton community can participate in the Pilgrims Hospice wellness programs, which are offered for free.
The Roozen Family Hospice Centre Day also hosts another Day Program for residents which is run by Alberta Health Services. Sessions are held Monday through Wednesday, and these sessions come with a cost of $11 per day and require registration beforehand.
Often, family members of previous residents make their way back to Pilgrims to volunteer their time. This can be a helpful healing experience; feeling that their loved one is near and easing the pain of grief. There are approximately 100 volunteers available to assist at Pilgrims Hospice at any given time, but there will always be room for more! Volunteers are trained over the course of a 28-hour program, and upon completion they receive their palliative care certificate. These training programs run quarterly now because there is so much need and demand. If you are interested in volunteering visit their website and click on volunteer.
Another way you can connect to the Pilgrims Hospice community is to join them for the Hike for Pilgrim’s Hospice being held on April 27th, 2024.
Impact Points
• Anyone in our Edmonton community can participate in the Pilgrims Hospice wellness programs, which are offered for free.
• A resident’s family members are thoughtfully and generously cared for through the duration of the time they spend with their loved one at Pilgrims Hospice and after that loved one passes; some family members return to the facility and volunteer their time and services.
• The Walk of Honour is an intentional and highly respectful practice of celebrating and bidding farewell to a deceased resident; they leave through the front door, and all other foot-traffic is halted to accommodate their departure.
• The courtyard is a beautiful space where residents and their families can go to hear the live music performances by members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
• Pilgrims Hospice has hosted three weddings! There were two cases where residents were able to marry the ones they loved, and in one case it was a resident’s family member being married where their loved one could be with them.
To learn more about Pilgrim's Hospice: https://pilgrimshospice.com/#
To volunteer at Pilgrim's Hospice: https://pilgrimshospice.com/get-involved/volunteer/
To donate to Pilgrim's Hospice: https://pilgrimshospice.com/get-involved/make-a-donation/
To join the Park Memorial Team for the Hike for Hospice Fundraiser:
Click HERE
Here's a video of hi-lites of our Park Memorial Donation Day:
