The following story is a feature from Hospice Halifax’s 2024 Annual Impact Report.
Read the full report here.
In my home, family is always there for you. When my Mom’s health declined, my Dad and my sister supported her home care, alongside visits from healthcare providers. As her condition worsened, we realized she needed more support when we could no longer safely provide care for her at home. I wanted the best for my Mom, and was apprehensive about her being transferred to a facility having never heard of Hospice Halifax before, however Hospice Halifax exceeded all expectations.
From December 19, 2022, to June 18, 2023, my Mother, Pushpa Singh, not only received the best care imaginable from some of the kindest people I have ever met, but was treated like family at Hospice Halifax.
Mom was a natural entertainer, always eager to host her huge circle of friends. Even in brief interactions, she would make sure people felt welcomed. Tea,coffee, and snacks were always ready to be served! My Dad jokes that it would take her three hours to run simple errands after pausing to chat with everyone she knew.
The care at Hospice Halifax helped Mom’s personality flourish and energy improve. We saw a marked improvement in her symptoms in the first few months of her time at Hospice Halifax. The staff accommodated dinner parties for her many guests, helping us bring together her two loves together: food and friends.
The team also knew how much Mom loved dressing up and arranged volunteers to help style her hair, makeup and nails for each event and did such a great job helping her celebrate our cultural festivals like Holi and Diwali.
I was grateful to see Mom receive such compassionate care, and was surprised how that care extended to the rest of my family as well. When Mom arrived at Hospice Halifax, I was 5 months pregnant with my daughter, Manasvi. Staff were always looking out for me and my family to ensure we were taken care of physically and emotionally during this most tumultuous time in our life.
I felt like the Hospice staff and volunteers were an extension of my own family. And while never the ideal place to meet people, it was comforting knowing there were other families there that understood your position and we provided comfort to each other.
With the support from Hospice Halifax, I take away some amazing memories of time with Mom during my pregnancy and after Manasvi’s birth. My sister and best friend organized a surprise baby shower at the facility. Hosting the event at Hospice allowed Mom to celebrate with us, something that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible had the shower been outside of the facility.
We also had my maternity photoshoot in the Hospice gardens, where Mom was included in my maternity photos. She was so excited! The staff helped her with her hair and getting dressed up. I will carry these happy memories with me for the rest of my life.
Mom’s memory was not the best towards the end. So to build up excitement the staff had placed a countdown calendar in her room and kept reminding her that her granddaughter was going to be coming very soon! When we got discharged from IWK after Manasvi was born, we headed straight to Hospice. It was quite late and I wasn’t expecting so many staff to have stayed back after their shift just to witness the moment my mom got to meet her granddaughter for the first time.
The staff had taken time to get her hair and makeup done and we were greeted at the door by such a large crowd! Seeing her holding Manasvi with awe and tears of joy is a memory I cherish and revisit often.
I’ve never met people as thoughtful as the team at Hospice Halifax. It feels like a gift that Mom was given extra time to experience the joy of our growing family and leave irreplaceable memories for us to hold onto. I’m not sure without the Hospice Halifax team my mom would’ve been able to meet her granddaughter.
Thanks to the thoughtfulness of Hospice Halifax we also take away some legacy things we would’ve never thought of. Staff helped make videos of my mom talking about the things she loves the most which we treasure dearly. I even have a voice recording of her in a teddy bear that says “Nani loves you” for my daughter. I will cherish that forever.
Despite not being in her familial home, my mom received care that was warm like family, and I don’t think we could have found that anywhere else. Hospice Halifax, the facility, the people, have my eternal gratitude. I will never forget what you did for my mom and my family.
Thank you,
Manjari Singh
