Andy's House - A RESIDENTIAL HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE COMMUNITY HUB FOR SOUTH AND WEST MUSKOKA. Operated by Hospice Muskoka.
10/06/2021
The 16th Annual Andy Potts Memorial Golf Tournament was held on the 30 of September at “The Rock”.
The tournament winners at -17 we’re
Kevin Scott , Alex Nelson,Chris Bondin,Hugh Dunlop.
We would like to thank our participants, sponsors and volunteers for making our tournament a success with $40,000 going to Andy’s House!
09/21/2021
Just did a tour of Andy’s House with Jane and Steve Jones. Thanks Sarah for taking the lead. Steve gave me an envelope that he said had a little something in it.
I’ll say. That little something was a cheque for $25,000.00 for Andy’s House!
Thank you both!
03/08/2021
Andy's House is a Resident and Family-centered, 24-hour care setting. It is funded 55% by the Ontario Ministry of Health and 45% by donations. Highly trained staff and volunteers provide specialized palliative care to residents who have no need or desire to die in the hospital.
Andy's House officially opened its doors to patients in October 2020. Due to COVID-19 we were unable to welcome the public for a tour of this beautiful facility. Enjoy this video of the exterior and beautiful views at Andy's House.
02/16/2021
The dogs, cats, bunnies and hamsters in Hospice Muskoka’s Joy of Pets Photo Contest are BEGGING for your votes.
This special anniversary dinner was something our Resident was still talking about days after. We were thrilled to provide such a heartfelt experience for her and her Spouse. Special thanks to our amazing Head Kitchen Volunteer Mary for providing a beautiful meal for the lovebirds.
02/12/2021
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, if you or a loved one needs Grief and Bereavement support please reach out to us at 705-646-1697 or go to our website to explore all the ways to connect https://www.hospicemuskoka.com/grief-group-sessions
02/11/2021
A CAT! is in first place in Hospice Muskoka’s Joy of Pets Photo Contest.
The DOGS of Muskoka need your help and votes. Their self-esteem needs a boost.
Donna has served the health care needs of Muskokans for over 18 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her position at Hospice Muskoka.
In a short amount of time Donna has fostered a culture of resilience and clinical excellence at Andy’s House. She encourages growth and collaboration across all disciplines. Always close by with a smile and words of support.
The physical and spiritual wellbeing of Staff, Volunteers and Residents is always her top priority. Andy's House has been able to diligently serve Residents and their families during COVID-19. This is in large part due to Donna's leadership and perseverance.
Donna had this to say about being part of the Hospice Muskoka team,
"I am honoured to be part of a team who works to make every moment of life matter for our Residents and their families. Caring for residents at Andy's House has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career."
We know COVID-19 is affecting our mental health. This can be especially true for people experiencing loss during the pandemic.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be unable to be with a loved one when they die, or unable to mourn someone’s death in-person with friends and family.
If you or a loved one is experiencing grief and loss please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here for you.
We are currently offering:
- One-on-one Grief and Bereavement telephone support
- Virtual Grief Group Sessions every Wednesday
Covid-19 has meant less face time in our community. We want to make sure the people of Muskoka know our Hospice Muskoka Team. Every Wednesday we will be introducing a member of our team in our new series "Meet the Team".
There is no better way to start the series than with our very own Executive Director Sandra Winspear. Sandra has been working in her role for over 4 decades. Her experience and expertise is put to good use every day as she oversees all of Hospice Muskoka operations. Including but not limited to; Andy's House, the Visiting Hospice Volunteer Program, and our Grief and Bereavement offerings.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Andy's House posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Hospice Muskoka is a volunteer-driven, community based, not-for-profit organization providing compassionate support to individuals and their loved ones of all ages and backgrounds, who are coping with end-of-life issues that has been serving the residents of South and West Muskoka since 1995.
On June 20 2005, Constable Andrew Potts and partner Matt Hanes of the OPP were involved in a car accident while on duty. Tragically, Andy was killed and Matt was seriously injured. In 2006, The Andy Potts Memorial Foundation was created to raise money for community projects in Andy’s name. Since 2012, the Foundation has been working tirelessly to achieve a campaign goal of 2.5 million to build Andy’s House, an integrated Hospice Palliative Care Hub.
Hospice Muskoka has been working on the development of a Hospice Residence since 2001. Thanks to the hard work of the Andy Potts Memorial Foundation and the generous support of many different individuals, groups, businesses and the community, 75% of the $2.5 million dollar capital campaign has been realized. Construction for the site is planned to commence in early summer of 2018, with a projected opening date in the spring of 2019. . The Andy Potts Memorial Foundation plans to gift the building to Hospice Muskoka when completed. The facility will be situated on a 13.4 acre parcel of land in Port Carling donated by local resident Brock Napier to the Township of Muskoka Lakes. As Hospice Muskoka serves all of South and West Muskoka, it is an ideal location, overlooking the Indian River and no more than 25 minutes from most communities in South and West Muskoka or 20 minutes’ drive from the hospital in Bracebridge. On May 17, The Committee of the Whole unanimously voted to authorize a land lease between Township of Muskoka Lakes and Hospice Muskoka to be signed.
The facility is being built as a series of pods, to best suit the site where it will be located. Each pod can be dedicated to its own functionality. Hospice Muskoka is planning to move its current operation – Visiting Hospice Volunteer, Grief and Bereavement, Caregiver support and Hospice Palliative Care Education programs to Andy’s House when it opens.
In 2016, the Ministry of Health announced funding for 200 additional residential beds in Ontario, of which 10 beds were allocated to the North Simcoe Muskoka region. The North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (NSM LHIN) selected Orillia and Midland Penetanguishene each for 5 bed palliative residences as Muskoka already had 5 beds located in Huntsville. Even though the NSM LHIN could not fund our request for Andy’s House, the Board of Hospice Muskoka realized that there is significant need that will only increase over time and has committed to opening three self-funded palliative beds to begin with. The board will continue to petition for next round funding.
A NEW MODEL FOR END-OF-LIFE CARE
The Challenges
South and West Muskoka has a permanent population of 36,658 and an estimated seasonal population of 63,5701 which represents 70.4% of the entire population of Muskoka with an estimated growth of 1% per year
22% of Muskoka’s population are older than 65 years of age versus the provincial average of 15%
Muskoka is served by Muskoka Algonquin Health Care with two hospitals – Huntsville site in the north and Bracebridge site in the south. Both sites have very high Alternative Level of Care levels (patients who occupy acute care beds who could be more economically served in a more appropriate setting). The hospitals are often over-occupied as much as 126% and with high rates of patients who could be moved to a more appropriate setting, but have nowhere to move to, the opportunity to improve patient flow is very limiting.
There is an extreme shortage of Personal Support Workers in health care across the province, which is particularly evident in rural regions like South and West Muskoka and does limit Home Care Services
The only end-of-life options in our region to remain at home is to engage Hospice Muskoka Visiting Volunteers, family and friends, pay for private care, or; be admitted to hospital or Algonquin Grace Hospice in Huntsville. Clearly, there is a need for additional options in South and West Muskoka.
Helping Hands Orillia has over 40 years of experience offering senior care in the community and has extensive experience in providing supportive housing, working with frail seniors and operating Transitional Beds in the community. Helping Hands has recently moved into Muskoka as the home care provider in the community, supplementing the services provided by Home and Community Care.
Helping Hands has been very successful in developing a new model for transitional care beds which has demonstrated relief to the Alternative Level of Care crisis in local hospitals, and also provides alternatives to individuals who would benefit from a palliative approach to care. In 2018, Hospice Muskoka and Helping Hands entered into exploratory discussions to develop a proposal for Transitional Care Beds to be located in Andy’s House in Port Carling. This addition would provide crucial support for individuals who may need care prior to the last 15 - 20 days of life. In March 2018, The Board of Helping Hands endorsed moving forward in developing this new and innovative program.
The model being proposed would eventually see Hospice Muskoka and Helping Hands sharing common facilities, including kitchen, dining area, living room spaces, a spiritual care room, a children’s play room and library. Hospice Muskoka’s administrative offices would be located adjacent to the public space. The first four bed pod would be dedicated to 3 palliative residential beds and 1 respite bed. The second 4-bed pod and the third 2-bed pod would accommodate 6 transitional care beds.
When complete, the site would house two established organizations working in parallel under one roof, providing complimenting services. This highly innovative model will provide the citizens of South and West Muskoka options for high quality hospice palliative care, psycho-social, emotional and practical support for individuals and their families, and a home like setting that is outside of hospital if the individual does not require acute care. As well, the model is economical, leveraging the strengths of both organizations and opportunities for shared staffing. It is has limitless possibilities to provide the greatest impact on ALC rates at local hospitals. To our knowledge, no model like this is currently in operation anywhere in Ontario and the potential would be significant for both agencies.
