Seeking high quality care is only the tip of the iceberg when planning end of life care. Patients and their families are also yearning for compassion and could benefit from additional supports.

Faye Watson is familiar with the need for these supports as her husband, Tim, passed away peacefully at Carefor Hospice in July of 2019.

Prior to Tim’s ten-day stay at Hospice, Faye had taken on the role of caregiver allowing her husband to remain at home for three years with the help of home care services. “The nurses would come and see him, and so would Dr. Lee. It was hard on him. He was so used to doing everything on his own, and it slowed him down.”

Like many spouses, Faye wanted to do everything possible to keep Tim at home. “You don’t want to place him in a home, and you want to look after him as much as you can.”

Tim was a hard worker, retiring from a 30-year career at Domtar in 1995. Married to Faye for over 57 years, the couple had two sons who kept them busy over the years coaching the boys in minor football.

Once retired, Tim filled his days by running errands and watching movies. “Because he had a hard time breathing with his COPD and was using oxygen, watching movies was something he could do and enjoy.”

Once Tim’s disease progressed, Faye turned to Hospice to help make him comfortable in his final days. “The girls up there were so good to him. They bathed and shaved him. They even cut his hair. He was really well treated. You couldn’t ask for better.”

Faye found her own comfort by joining the Caregiver Support Group, and later partaking in the Bereavement Group. These programs, along with all other services offered through Carefor Hospice are open to the community with the hope of acting as a support network, creating an open forum for talking about death and dying. “I’ve met a lot of nice people and it was very helpful to me. They would come and pick me up and drop me off at home after the meetings, so it got me out of the house. They do wonderful work up there.”

Faye is still an active participant in the Bereavement Group at Carefor Hospice, now communicating with the group on conference calls. She misses seeing the staff and participants and looks forward to returning to the in-person program format down the road.

Carefor Hospice in Cornwall offers an essential support network to your community. For more information on the supports available, click here.

If you’d like to help ensure the future availability of these programs, click here to donate.