Frequently Asked Questions

Hospice care is a specialized form of healthcare providing whole-person support for people with a life-limiting illness. Based on an individual’s goals and priorities, support addresses physical, emotional, social, spiritual and practical issues, as well as expectations, needs, hopes and fears.

The focus of hospice care is on comfort and quality of life, rather than on a cure, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient’s pain and discomfort. Hospice care doesn’t prolong life or hasten death, but offers the possibility of autonomy, dignity and joy at the end of life.

In Canada, both terms refer to the same thing. However, people often use the term hospice care to describe care offered in the community rather than in hospitals.

Individuals living with life-limiting illnesses and their families benefit from hospice care.

Most people approaching end-of-life are cared for by family and friends. When more help is needed, support is provided by a palliative care team that may include home care nurses with specialized skills, palliative physicians, social workers and spiritual counselors. Cowichan Hospice staff and volunteers and our support services also play an important part in this team.

Hospice care is offered in a variety of places - at home, in our Community Services Office, in hospital, in long-term care facilities, and in Cowichan Hospice House.

Hospice care is available to individuals (and their caregivers and loved ones) at any time in the course of their illness. Any significant change in a seriously ill person’s physical, emotional or cognitive health may be a sign that hospice care would be of benefit.

Contacting Cowichan Hospice early on, soon after diagnosis, allows a strong and comfortable relationship to grow between a client and their volunteer. This can help the person and family think and talk about options and choices, and make plans which will support them through the course of their illness.

Even if you’re not sure, we encourage you to call us. If it’s not the right time, a hospice coordinator can help you understand what to look for so you will know when that time comes.

The purpose of hospice care is to refocus hope, not diminish it. The hope for cure might shift to the hope for the management of symptoms or the presence of family and the health care team. Hope may mean a pain-free day, a sense of security, of love, of not being abandoned, or the anticipation of being present for a wedding or a birth in the near future.

Moving away from curative treatment doesn’t mean going without treatment of any kind. A person who chooses hospice support will still receive all the medicines and treatments that help control the symptoms of their disease. Hospice doesn’t mean stopping care, it simply means changing the goals of care.

It's important to discuss these choices with your healthcare providers and loved ones and put your wishes in writing so that they are clear if you ever can’t speak for yourself. Making your wishes clear means your family won’t have to struggle with future decisions and can bring peace of mind to both your and your loved ones.

Cowichan Hospice offers free Advance Care Planning sessions to help you consider, talk about and record your future care wishes.

Your physician may refer you to Cowichan Hospice but a referral isn’t required – you are welcome to contact us directly. Give us a call, and we can discuss your options for support. Even if you’re not sure it’s time for hospice care, we encourage you to call us. If it’s not the right time, a hospice coordinator can help you understand what to look for so you will know when that time comes.

(Please note that, if you are seeking admission to Cowichan Hospice House, it is best that you speak to your physician.)

There is no cost. Our services are free and confidential.

(Please note that there is a fee for residence in Cowichan Hospice House, which is the same as minimum residential care fees in a traditional care unit, currently $48.20 per day. Application may be made for relief of fees.)

Cowichan Hospice services include:

• Emotional and practical support for people living with life-limiting illness and for their family members

• Support groups and individual support for people grieving the death of a loved one, including support groups for those grieving a traumatic loss

• Support groups for those caregiving for a dying loved one

• Wellness Care: Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and other relaxing treatments in private settings for people who are ill, who are caregiving or who are grieving a death

• Advance Care Planning education to facilitate conversations about health care wishes when one cannot make decisions for oneself. Education and resources about appointment of decision-makers, advance directives and planning for incapacity.

• Library and resources on caregiving, grief and palliative journey, including books for children

• Staff and volunteers providing support for residents and their families at Cowichan Hospice House

• A support team at Cowichan District Hospital

• Cowichan Hospice also hosts the Integrated Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Clinic at the Cowichan Hospice Community Services Centre.

We serve over 1000 people each year, including clients in the community and in Cowichan Hospice House.

Yes! Our long-time location at 3122 Gibbins Road (the Cowichan Hospice Community Services Office) is the hub from which our staff and volunteers provide support and services. Clients are served in the office, and also in their homes, in residential care, in hospital and in Cowichan Hospice House.

Yes! We welcome and appreciate all gifts to Cowichan Hospice. The generosity of our donors is vital in ensuring that those in need of compassionate end-of-life care in our community, their caregivers and loved ones, will always have access to the support they need.

We know that caregiving can be challenging and overwhelming. Our staff and volunteers can support you in this role, as well as support you as an individual, with resources that may include:

• One-to-one emotional support and a listening ear - in person, by phone or by video

• Information about and referrals to other support services

• In-person caregiver support group

• Online caregiver support group

• Anticipatory grief support for families of patients at Cowichan Hospice House

• Relaxing wellness treatments such as Reiki and Therapeutic Touch to promote relaxation, and reduce anxiety

• Lending library centered on end-of-life issues, caregiving and grief

• ​Advance Care Planning information

Bereavement support helps family members navigate their emotions and grief around the death of a loved one. Bereavement support may begin before the death occurs and is an important part of hospice care, particularly for people who may have faced many losses over a short period of time.

Our staff and volunteers provide emotional support and resources to those who are grieving which may include:

• One-to-one grief support and a listening ear - in person, by phone or by video

• Grief support group - People who come to Cowichan Hospice to receive one-to-one grief support may, in time, choose to attend a Grief Support group. Participants in the group come from many different walks of life and the circumstances of their losses vary greatly.

• Traumatic loss group

• Grief support for patients and their families at Cowichan Hospice House

• Relaxing wellness treatments such as Reiki and Therapeutic Touch

• Lending library centered on end-of-life issues, caregiving and grief

• Resources and support for family and caregivers of grieving children​

The terms “dying with dignity” and “medical assistance in dying” are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. The concept of dying with dignity – and of dignity in general – is highly personal; it differs from one person to the next. A dignified death does not exclusively refer to a medically assisted death.

Medical assistance in dying is the name of Canada’s assisted dying legislation. It refers to the administering of medications by a physician or nurse practitioner that – at the person’s request – causes their death; or the prescribing of medications by a physician or nurse practitioner that a person can take to cause their own death.

Learn more about medical assistance in dying here.

Cowichan Hospice honours each individual’s unique end-of-life journey and provides a safe, non-judgmental space for clients to explore their thoughts and feelings about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). While our team does not initiate or influence conversations about MAiD, we are here to offer emotional support when clients choose to bring it forward.

Clients staying at Hospice House who have MAiD as part of their care plan will be supported with compassion by our staff and volunteers.

We also offer grief and bereavement support for family members and friends of individuals who have chosen MAiD.

Please note that Cowichan Hospice staff and volunteers do not provide medical advice or MAiD services. For clinical information, eligibility, and next steps, we encourage individuals to speak with their doctor, nurse practitioner, or visit the Island Health website.

It’s preferred that the family physician continues care at the Cowichan Hospice House as they will know your history more thoroughly, but often patients are cared for by the palliative physicians due to system constraints.

Many people in Cowichan are cared for at home at the end of their lives, but sometimes there is no-one available around the clock, or care may become too complex to be managed by family members. Sometimes caregivers become too exhausted to continue without more support.

Hospitals continually strive to make their palliative care units or suites as home-like as possible within their large acute care setting, however, Hospice House specializes in end-of-life care. There is peace within the ambience of a home. Clients can eat when, where and what they want. Visiting children are welcome and made comfortable with their own special space furnished with books and toys. Families can wander in the garden or read in the library. Pets may visit in patient rooms.

Generally, a family physician will make a referral.

Cowichan Hospice House is a beautiful and peaceful setting, filled with warmth and compassion, where pain and other symptoms are closely monitored and treated.

Private patient rooms feature garden views or walk-out patios, a pull-out bed for family members and a private bathroom. A larger room is available to accommodate people with larger families.

The sacred space may be used as a refuge for quiet meditation or for family or ceremonial gatherings.

An open kitchen and dining area, children’s play space, quiet rooms and peaceful areas support family members as they stay near their loved one.

Meals and snacks may be eaten and prepared any time, and pets are welcome in patient rooms.

Though Cowichan Hospice House is warm and home-like, it is also a specialized medical facility, built to current residential-care standards that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly (BuiltGreen Canada certification).

Medical equipment in the building includes lifts, special beds (including a bariatric bed), and a hydrotherapy spa, as well as required features such as a communications system, a secure medication storage room, clean-and-dirty utility areas, fire detection and deterrence equipment, and more.

Patient comfort is ensured with individual room ventilation and heat control, and flexible lighting to reduce glare while enabling medical exams.

Cowichan Hospice House accommodates ten patients and serves 100-120 patients each year.

While the length of stay can vary greatly depending on individual needs and circumstances, the average stay at Cowichan Hospice House is typically around three months.

Each person’s journey is unique, and the integrated Hospice House team works closely with individuals, families, and health care providers to ensure care is tailored with dignity, comfort, and compassion at the forefront.

Yes. Some patients have moved to long term care after showing continual improvement while in Hospice House.

Our amazing and generous community raised the $10 million needed to build the facility and ensure ongoing, excellent whole-person care for those who are dying, and for their families.

Island Health provided the land, and now funds the medical care, as well as basic infrastructure such as utilities, food, laundry, and repair and maintenance for the building. Cowichan Hospice staff and volunteers (funded by donations) provide whole-person care with emotional and practical support for patients and their families

Island Health pays for medical staff. Cowichan Hospice provides a Support Services Coordinator and a team of about 45 volunteers.

Cowichan Hospice staff and volunteers support you and your loved ones in Hospice House as you make choices about how to spend your last precious days of life. This can take different forms, including:

• Helping orient you to Hospice House and what you might expect in your time there

• Providing resource materials about the dying process, coping with dying, and grief.

• Talking with you and your caregivers about topics it may be hard to talk about

• Calming your anxiety with relaxing energy work such as Reiki or Therapeutic Touch

• Sitting with you and reading, listening, talking, watching TV, playing your favourite music or simply being a quiet, reassuring presence – whatever we can do to support your individual needs

• Helping find answers to your questions and concerns, in cooperation with the nursing staff

Many hospice volunteers have bonus skills, including:

• Cutting hair, manicures

• Facilitating pet visits

• Baking (special requests encouraged)

• Piano and other instruments

Patients must be adults aged 19 and over, as per Island Health residential care guidelines.

Charges for publicly subsidized inpatient hospice care apply to Hospice House and are based on the minimum residential care rates set by the provincial government (currently $48.20 per day). Application may be made for relief of fees.

Yes, there are ten other hospice organizations across Vancouver Island. Until the opening of Cowichan Hospice House, our region was the only community of our size on the Island without a residential hospice program.