At Foothills Country Hospice, we offer a serene country setting where residents and their loved ones receive exemplary end-of-life and bereavement care. As we navigate this unpredictable situation, our priority is to protect our most vulnerable residents and their loved ones, and to keep our doctors, nurses, and employees healthy so we can continue to provide safe, quality care.

Accordingly, we will continue to follow all recommendations by Alberta Health Services to limit the chance of exposure to COVID-19. These precautions have greatly increased our staffing needs as we are working to accommodate those on sick leave and the volunteers who are no longer permitted to come on-site. Visitor restrictions have also been implemented, further adding to the sense of loss felt by our residents and their loved ones. 

As hospice caregivers, we will do everything in our power to help families cope with their grief and remotely connect with their loved ones while visitor restrictions remain in place. We have also added additional social work and grief support staff to better serve our clients during these uncertain times.

Since the onset of COVID-19, operating expenses have increased significantly, and the demand on our resources and supplies is expected to rise over the next few months with two temporary beds set up for hospital overflow. We have also noticed a decline in regular contributions, and there is a strong likelihood that two of our major fundraising events will be cancelled, resulting in a potential loss of more than $260,000 worth of projected revenue.

All donations received at this time will greatly help to offset the additional costs and loss of revenue associated with COVID-19 as we continue to provide comfort and essential healthcare services for those on their end-of-life journey.