Kalein Hospice Society abandons free-standing hospice facility goal
By Timothy Schafer
The city’s hospice society is abandoning its long-time goal of a free-standing hospice facility.
Kim Bater, executive director with the Kalein Hospice Society, told city council Monday night to that although day hospice will be opening on the Kaleiin grounds in January of 2017, the goal of the free-standing hospice facility won’t happen.
The society commissioned an Applied Research and Feasibility Study for Kalein Hospice Centre Society (Kalein) to inquire into a variety of successful and sustainable hospice care models that could be applied in the rural setting of Nelson.
The answers provided a springboard on which to explore: “What is Kalein’s role in supporting palliative care in Nelson” and “What is feasible for Kalein given the current context?”
The study took into consideration the whole of Kalein’s strategic directions, to create an integrated centre for dialogue, education and hospice care, including the vision of building a hospice facility on the grounds of the Kalein Centre.
Bater said the research findings uncovered a new external context that was not present in previous feasibility studies or strategic planning that shaped Kalein Hospice Centre Society’s vision: there is no additional funding envelops for new hospice facilities in Interior Health Authority’s Capital Strategies (2013).
“The scenario planning activities were a means to verify that the original vision of creating a stand-alone hospice facility is not feasible given the current context,” he said.
Instead, Kalein has an opportunity to build capacity within the system to address upstream palliative care through early intervention and model an integrative approach by collaborative initiatives such as education and research.
There is a willingness among the networks for Kalein to host, reach out to, and advocate within the palliative care system to build a compassionate community of care.
Seven recommendations emerged:
- Put aside the vision of developing a free-standing hospice facility on Kalein’s grounds. Redefine how an immersive space for dialogue, education, and hospice-care supports a renewed model of care.
- Take a proactive approach to engage with partners to develop a community-based hospice model in community facilities.
- Develop and deliver a palliative day program with Nelson and District Hospice Society.
- Collaborate with others on rigorous, evidence based research and development practices.
- Advocate for a proactive change to improve access and quality of palliative and end-of-life care.
- Hold space and host local and global community outreach to advance the discourse on palliative and end-of-life care.
- Maintain a patient centered and relationship centered approach to all initiatives.
