On March 6th, we were joined by Margot Vanderlaan, Development Manager for Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice. 
Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice facilities provide palliative care in a home setting improving the quality of living and dying for those diagnosed with terminal illness. The programs offered provide support both to the patient and to the family to provide comfort, care and closure at no cost to the client.
In 1996 the initiative was begun by members of Cambridge Memorial Hospital that attracted the support of Val and Sheila O’Donovan to establish an alternative to institutional and in-home palliative care in Waterloo Region. In 2000, Lisaard opened providing 6 beds and capacity for approximately 140 clients per year. Lisaard was named after a retreat in Ireland and provides services to clients with cancer who are able to enjoy the garden and wildlife in a country home setting between Kitchener and Cambridge. Innisfree which opened in 2015 with 10 beds and capacity for 230 clients per year is named after an Irish island featured in a poem by Yeates. Innisfree provides service to all types of life limiting illnesses and is a architecturally modern facility near Conestoga College. One of the features of Innisfree is the wall of art in the great room which provides comfort to their clients.
There is a significant need for palliative care in our region. Over 80% of terminal ill patients don’t want to have their final days in hospital but yet 70% of them still do. In other words, many acute care beds are being occupied by people who do not desire institutional care but require more support than can be provided at home.
These facilities do receive some government funding thru OHIP but they still need to raise $1.5M from the community every year to continue operations. Part of this is raised thru events such as their Gala event which is being held March 24th and a Hike for Hospice being held June 3rd.
Programs in support of the clients include a music therapy program and providing various memorializing methods including art and voice recordings. The staff do their best to support the residents special wants and needs and have made arrangements for special last wishes like weddings and phone calls with celebrities (Gene Simmons).
Lisaard and Innsifree provide the only non-institutional residential palliative care in the region. We’re fortunate to have facilities like these in our community that have provided care to approx. 3000 clients since inception.
For further information see their website at https://lisaardandinnisfree.com/