COMING SOON: A NEW ERA IN END-OF-LIFE CARE IN CONNECTICUT

Six months until first and only private-room, family focused hospice residence in state accepts first patients

Options for end-of-life care will soon look very different for people in the state of Connecticut. In just six months, Regional Hospice and Home Care will accept its first patients at the state’s first and only family centered, private-room hospice residence, a state-of-the-art facility that is being built on Milestone Road in Danbury. 

More than 1,000 patients, many of them children, are expected to come to the new hospice residence during the first year. The 12 pet-friendly private suites with fireplaces and living rooms, each with views of the gardens and grounds, will be “a beautiful space, peaceful and spiritual, where family members can spend time with their loved ones,” said Cynthia E. Roy, president and CEO of Regional Hospice. More than 100 certified caregivers will be on hand to “help patients discover what end-of-life care can be -- what can be gained, what can be realized and what can be recaptured,” she said.

The 36,000-square-foot residence is designed to look and feel like a home, not an institution. It will fill the gap for those who would like to experience hospice care outside of a hospital setting but for a variety of reasons are not able to spend their final days in their own homes. 

“Not all patients have a caregiver or family member available to supplement hospice care,” explained the Regional Hospice Foundation’s Executive Director Paul Sirois. “When the patient is a parent or child, leaving behind final memories in one’s own home is not always desired. The new residence will provide the home-like environment hospice patients seek,” he said.

It will also house the Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children and Families, a bereavement program run by Regional Hospice, bringing all services under one roof. Other amenities will include a professional chef on site to create meals, a family kitchen for use by patient’s families, a patient spa, a library and a peaceful memorial garden with playscape. 

The construction of the residence comes after nearly seven years of work by Regional Hospice and other voices to modernize hospice legislation in the state of Connecticut. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Former Gov. M. Jodi Rell are among those who supported the changes in legislation, which passed unanimously in the Legislature’s Regulations Review Committee in 2012. After the changes were then passed in the Connecticut State House and Senate, Governor Malloy signed the bill into law.

The construction of the Regional Hospice residence is being funded by donations, with only $4 million needed to complete the $12 million total cost. Anyone wishing to contribute to the construction efforts may contact Paul Sirois at (203) 702-7414 or email psirois@regionalhospicect.org. 

Regional Hospice and Home Care is a nonprofit palliative care and home hospice agency based in Danbury, Conn., that offers real hope to those facing advanced illness through patient-focused care, education, resources and advocacy. Its team of certified caregivers helps patients and families discover what end-of-life care can be—what can be gained, what can be realized and what can be recaptured. Its range of services includes medical, emotional, spiritual and comfort. Regional Hospice never turns patients away, regardless of the ability to pay. It is also home to the award-winning Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children & Families, a bereavement center that offers a range of grief support services. For more information, visit www.RegionalHospiceCT.org. Follow us on twitter: @real_hope. Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RegionalHospice.