“To live in this world you must be able to do 3 things: To love what is mortal.
To hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it.
And when the time comes; to let it go. To let it go.”
Mary Oliver
About
We are a team of healthcare professionals, staff and volunteers who are dedicated to providing compassionate end-of-life and bereavement care for individuals and their families in Vancouver.
In addition to offering quality end-of-life and bereavement care at our 8-bed residential hospice, we provide a range of support services to individuals with a life-limiting illness during the last year of life, and their families within the Vancouver community. We embrace a patient-centred approach to care, with a focus on dignity, comfort and respect for all.
History
The Vancouver Hospice Society was formed by a group of volunteers, nurses and physicians within the palliative care community. Their goal was to build freestanding hospices where individuals with life-limiting conditions could live with dignity during their final days, and where families and friends could feel welcomed and supported. VHS was incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization in December, 2003. Since then, a large group of dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to raise funds to build the hospice, and support its operations since it opened in April, 2014.
Along with donations raised through fundraising campaigns and events, Vancouver Hospice Society has received significant revenues derived from two local, volunteer-run thrift shops: Hospice Opportunity Boutique (HOB) in Kerrisdale, and HOB Too in Kitsilano.
In May, 2017, we secured a commitment from Vancouver Coastal Health to provide ongoing funding for clinical operations at the hospice. We are also grateful to receive an annual Community Gaming Grant from the Government of BC (since 2013) to support our Bereavement Program.
