About Us
Who We Are
Hospice Halifax is a compassionate and supportive community of staff members, volunteers, and donors dedicated to making dying and living as comfortable and as meaningful as possible at the end of life.
Where We Are
Hospice Halifax respectfully acknowledges that we are located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral, unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. For thousands of years and hundreds of generations, Mi’kmaq have lived, shared stories, gathered, grieved, and cared for loved ones on this land. We are grateful to provide compassionate care as treaty people.
Welcome to Hospice Halifax Video
Learn more about us by watching this 2 min video…
Our History
Hospice Halifax (formerly called the Hospice Society of Greater Halifax) started in 2001. In 2002, we established our first working and administrative board of directors. We received our charitable registration status on January 17, 2003. In 2010, we acquired Pryor House from Halifax Regional Municipality. This heritage property at 9 Spring Street in Bedford served as the operational base for our administration activities, community programs, and member and volunteer events until December 2015. We updated our mission, vision, purpose, and guiding principles in 2011 (and later in 2018). We hired our first office manager in 2012 and, in 2014, we welcomed our first CEO.
In the past, we’ve offered programs like The Living Room, The Bedford Sunshine Room, and Caregiver Support. Today, we offer community support through our bereavement programs and community events.
Our membership includes community members, advocates, health care professionals, and families touched by hospice care. Our 180 volunteers help create awareness about hospice care, organize events, and offer support programs. Each year, we host major annual fundraising initiatives like Feeling the Love Dinner and Dance Party, Hike for Hospice, and Light Up A Life.
Our Promise
We give you space to live before you die.
Our Vision
To be recognized as the thought leader in making death, dying and grief experience the best it can be.
Our Mission
Creating place and space for grief and end-of-life care through compassionate support, innovative practices and comprehensive education.
Our Values
We believe compassion is the cornerstone of exceptional end-of-life care. We have a profound capacity to connect on a human level, forging meaningful relationships to explore fear, grief, and loss.
By collaborating with patients and their families, healthcare partners, academia, donors and like-minded organizations and individuals, we endeavour to create societal shifts in how we approach bereavement, grief, and end-of-life care.
Knowledge is a powerful tool in navigating the challenges of dying, death, and grief; as thought leaders, we strive to create a ripple effect of positive change.
We honour diverse cultures and backgrounds, lifestyles, and beliefs; affirming that every
person’s life is meaningful, dignified, and respected.
We bridge the gap between medical expertise and emotional well-being; ensuring the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of our patients and loved ones are nurtured by our inspired and engaged team.
Hospice Palliative Care: A Definition
Hospice palliative care means providing opportunities for patients and families to uniquely address practical, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs while preparing for the patient’s death.
Hospice residences provide a home-like setting for people who are living with and dying from end-stage illnesses who require holistic care and regular symptom assessment. Hospices also help patients and families cope with grief and loss during the illness and after the patient’s death. Hospice care is safe, high quality, patient-centered, and cost effective.
Palliative care, aimed at relieving physical suffering and providing comfort and quality of life, can be delivered in a dedicated section of a health care facility, in a person’s home, or at a hospice.
To learn more about the history of hospice palliative care in Canada, visit the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.
