For over 20 years, Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice Houses have cared for community members with terminal illnesses in the Waterloo area.
In 2000, the first of the two hospices was built and Lisaard House in Cambridge welcomed its first resident to the six-bed hospice house. The name Lisaard House originated from a beloved hotel in County Cork, Ireland.
Fifteen years later, the ten-bed residence, Innisfree House, was built in Kitchener.
Both hospice care teams consist of nurses and physicians, specializing in palliative care, along with social workers, spiritual providers, bereavement counsellors, pet and music therapy professionals and dedicated volunteers.
The organization is unique for its mission to maintain residents’ sense of dignity during their end-of-life journey by incorporating everyday life experiences like nail care, music, messages, gardening, coffee socials, family time and more.
“Our goal is to provide individual care to each resident we serve to relieve suffering and provide comfort and dignity through their end-of-life journey,” said Marty Dever, Communications and Marketing Coordinator at Lisaard and Innisfree Houses.
As the provided care at Lisaard and Innisfree Hospices comes with no charge to the residents or their families, the organizations require two million dollars worth of community funding annually in addition to the provincial government funding they receive for personalized end-of-life care.
“We are able to get our bakers back in, gardeners outside and volunteers in-house,” said Dever.
Individuals interested in volunteering can choose between direct and indirect volunteering depending on their comfort, skills and education.
Direct service volunteering supports residents and their families during their final days. This type of volunteering consists of residential care, music therapy, nail care and hairdressing.
Indirect-service volunteering, on the other hand, is under operational support to Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice consisting of reception, kitchen, laundry, gardening, maintenance, fundraising and finance duties.
“We are so grateful to keep the houses operating. We couldn't do what we do without the community’s support,” said Dever.
‘It's a privilege to be able to support the community at such a vulnerable and difficult time and we really appreciate the generosity of our community partners and donors,” said Dever.
Lisaard and Innisfree Houses are always looking for help to deliver compassionate end-of-life care to people in our community.
Click here to learn more about how you can support Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice.
To learn more about direct and indirect volunteer opportunities, click here or contact the Volunteer Coordinator at 519-208-5055 ext. 258 or [email protected]
Visit the ‘History of Us’ video link to learn more about the organization or visit their website, Facebook or Twitter for more information.
