The Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society is in the process of helping people who wish to die in their own homes.
The ‘Hospice at Home’ program is expected to start up in the fall.
“What that’s going to do is give 24/7 access at home for people who choose to die at home, to have access to qualified, trained hospice nurses,” said Executive Director Donna Flood.
“We know that the majority of people, if given the choice, would prefer to die at home, however the reality is that only 20% do, so we want to go in there and give them the opportunity and the supports they need.”
Flood added they working on the program with their partners, including Northern Health, the Prince George Physician Group, and UNBC.
“We’re looking at how do we make sure we transition the care, and we properly refer the patient and that everybody is aware, and everybody is working together to surround the care,” Flood explains.
“We’re also in the midst of hiring our staff, we’re hiring LPNs, so that we can get them trained over the next few months, so that they can become experts in what they do.”
The project isn’t government funded, but is being supported by the people of Prince George.