Hospice Muskoka has provided palliative and end-of-life support to residents of South and West Muskoka since 1995 through our outstanding volunteer programs.
Volunteers are an integral part of our interdisciplinary team serving our clients and families: supporting community clients in their homes; facilitating Grief and Bereavement programmes; running Advance Care Planning (ACP) workshops; and, helping care for palliative guests and their families at Andy’s House.
Our palliative care home, Andy’s House, opened in October 2020. Andy’s House is available to all residents of Muskoka Lakes, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Georgian Bay Townships, including Wahta First Nation and Moose Deer Point First Nation and, by extension their families.
Andy’s House is staffed with specialized palliative nurses and Personal Support Workers (PSWs) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to optimize quality of life and dignity to the very last breath. We currently have 8 palliative care rooms, with plans to open a dedicated paediatric palliative care room very soon.
Andy’s House is the first hospice in Ontario to have a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in the role of Most Responsible Provider/Prescriber (MRPP). We have developed a unique model whereby the NP works in partnership with your family doctor or nurse practitioner. Our NP is accredited in palliative care and has the expertise required to direct your care through advanced pain and symptom management approaches, specialized assessments and in the on-going planning for medical interventions that may be chosen. Working in partnership with local health care organizations makes transitions through the healthcare system seamless.
Hospice Muskoka also has a Social Worker (SW) specialized in complex Grief and Bereavement Counselling. The SW works in conjunction with other local healthcare organizations to provide wrap around care for the person who is palliating and their loved ones.
