Our Mission

Nipissing Serenity Hospice provides palliative care in a peaceful setting for people of all ages at end of life and support for their loved ones.

Vision

Our vision is to advocate for a future where every person and their loved ones can access the finest standards of hospice palliative care at end of life in a timely manner. We strive for a future where every person we serve receives excellence in hospice palliative care.

Values

Compassion, Comfort, Dignity.

 

Care at End of Life

Nipissing Serenity Hospice (NSH) supports the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) and the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP) joint statement in their clarification of the relationship of hospice palliative care and MAiD. It is clear in its understanding that these two practices are fundamentally different and where MAiD is not part of hospice palliative care. It is not an “extension” of palliative care[i]nor is it one of the tools “in the palliative care basket”.[ii]National and international hospice palliative care organizations are unified in the position that MAiD is not part of the practice of hospice palliative care.[iii][iv][v][vi][vii][viii][ix][x]Hospice palliative care and MAiD substantially differ in multiple areas including in philosophy, intention and approach.[xi]Hospice palliative care focuses on improving quality of life and symptom management through holistic person-centered care for those living with life threatening conditions. Hospice palliative care sees dying as a normal part of life and helps people to live and die well. Hospice palliative care does not seek to hasten death or intentionally end life. In MAiD, however, the intention is to address suffering by ending life through the administration of a lethal dose of drugs at an eligible person’s request.

Nipissing Serenity Hospice recognizes that everyone holds their own values, beliefs and meaning behind their experience of living with a life limiting illness.  Nipissing Serenity Hospice believes that residents have the right to quality palliative care and the right to choose where they wish to receive care at the end of life. While Nipissing Serenity Hospice will respect and support each of our residents and loved ones’ in their choices as they journey their final days, prior to admission they will be advised that MAiD will not be administered in the hospice. Should any resident wish to consider MAiD, NSH will continue to support all resident requests and provide referral as is required.

Passed by the Board of Directors
January 2020

[i]Buchman, Dr. Sandy. “Bringing Compassion to Medicine and to the CMA.” Canadian Medical Association, 12 Oct. 2019, https://www.cma.ca/dr-sandy-buchman.

[ii]Kutcher, Dr. Matt. “Navigating MAiD on PEI.” Canadian Medical Association, 19 Nov. 2018, https://www.cma.ca/dr-matt-kutcher.

[iii]World Health Organization (WHO). “WHO Definition of Palliative Care.” World Health Organization (WHO), https://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/.

[iv]De Lima L, Woodruff R, et al, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care “Position Statement Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” JPM Vol 20, 1:1 -7.

[v]Radbruch, Lukas, et al. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: A White Paper from the European Association for Palliative Care.” Palliative Medicine, vol. 30, no. 2, 2015, pp. 104–116., doi:10.1177/0269216315616524.

[vi]Australia and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM) “Position Statement on the Practice of Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide.”31 Mar. 2017

[vii]Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association “Policy on Hospice Palliative Care and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).”Jun. 2019

[viii]Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians “Key Messages: Palliative Care and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).”May 2019.

[ix]“Statement on Physician-Assisted Dying.” American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), 24 Jul. 2016, http://aahpm.org/positions/pad.

[x]Canadian Medical Association. “Palliative Care (Policy).” 2016

[xi]Shariff M & Gingerich M. “Endgame: Philosophical, Clinical and Legal Distinctions between Palliative Care and Termination of Life.” Vol. 85, Second Series Supreme Court Law Review 225. 2018