Located near Orillia is a beautiful home away from home for those whose lives are coming to an end.
Mariposa House Hospice, at 1140 Brodie Dr. in Severn, is a special place that offers compassionate palliative care in a home-like setting surrounded by gardens and a mature forest.
Each of the five suites has a balcony with a bird feeder outside and staff who see it as a normal part of their job to comfort and support palliative patients and their families.
From its humble opening during the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2021 to a thriving facility with 60 active volunteers and 25 staff, Mariposa House Hospice is doing its work of making people’s last days the best they can be.
“You will not find a more authentically compassionate group of people than those that work and volunteer at hospice,” said Ted Markle, executive director.
A nurse and a personal support worker (PSW) are on the floor 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“It’s got to be a passion. The nurses and PSWs I’ve hired all say, ‘It’s a calling. This is what I need to do,’” said Emily Lazareth, clinical manager.
Hospice is a warm and welcoming environment for terminally ill patients and their families, with a large common kitchen and a family room. Each resident gets a private suite with a bathroom, a Murphy bed for family members, and a balcony overlooking the garden.
“A big thing that sets us apart is the atmosphere and the setting,” said Lazareth. “We don’t have the bells and the hustle and bustle that the hospital does. We are not doing any active treatment and investigation. It is solely focused on comfort.”
All of the nurses have specialized palliative care training and access to a wide range of medications. A pharmacy makes daily deliveries.
“Any symptom that comes up, we will be able to do something for it,” said Lazareth.
Getting a loved one into hospice allows family members to hand over the care chores to the staff.
“So, for the last days and weeks of their life, you can go back to being the loving daughter, spouse, son, and honour every moment of that person’s life to make the ending as good as it can be,” said Markle.
In the beginning, the hospice was not full and the manager was calling other hospices offering beds, said Lazareth, who was a floor nurse.
“Right now, we are sitting at five beds full with a couple ready to come in, so we are busy.”
There is a shortlist of people ready for a bed and up to 50 referrals staff follow for people who have hospice as a future or back-up plan.
People get into hospice by referral from their family doctors or from Ontario Health at Home (previously known as Local Health Integration Networks and Community Care Access Centres) and typically come in from home or hospital.
When a family comes into hospice, they meet with Kandas Bartlett, the engagement manager, who is there to guide them through a difficult time.
“I make them feel comfortable and act as their point of contact,” said Bartlett.
The house is open to family members. They can help themselves to coffee and tea. Hospice offers nutritious meals, and they can go for a walk in the garden or forest.
“We ask them to dress the room up, bring in their own pictures. The family is welcome,” said Bartlett.
Since opening day, Mariposa House Hospice has served more than 380 residents, plus their families, and all hospice services are free of charge.
That being said, the Ontario Ministry of Health funds hospice at a little less than 50 per cent of the roughly $2-million annual operating budget, said Markle. That leaves the hospice having to raise close to $1 million annually.
“We have to stay close to and connected to the community because of our mission and because we rely on community funding for what we do,” he said.
The fundraising committee is the “driving force” of the hospice, Markle added.
“They are a really outstanding group.”
Mariposa House Hospice has embarked on its first major fundraising campaign since the campaign that raised the roof. It’s the Cuddle Bed campaign with a fundraising goal of $150,000 to buy five cuddle beds. Cuddle beds are expandable and can accommodate two people.
The beds at Mariposa House Hospice were donated by Hospice Simcoe in Barrie, when it was getting new beds. So far, about $47,000 has been raised.
For the first time, the Autumn Concert in the Barn will be held Oct. 27 at the Braestone Farm in Oro-Medonte with musical entertainment by The Good Lovelies and Zachary Lucky. Funds raised at the event will be put into the Cuddle Bed campaign in hopes of reaching its target. Tickets have not yet gone on sale.
Mariposa House Hospice’s catchment area is large at 2072 square kilometres, including Orillia, Severn, Ramara and Oro-Medonte, and over to Beaverton.
More information about Mariposa House Hospice, including how to volunteer or make a donation, can be found at mariposahousehospice.com.
