Sooke Hospice Society

Mission
Statement

The Sooke Hospice Society is a team of trained volunteers and professionals dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual care of individuals who are palliative, as well as their families and loved ones, within the community of Sooke and the surrounding areas.

Vision
Statement

The Sooke Hospice Society is dedicated to:

• Increasing collaboration within the community of Sooke and with the Island Health Authority
• Ensuring the high quality of care of palliative individuals, as well as their families and loved ones
• Maintaining the high level of volunteer and professional service through ongoing educational opportunities and self governance
• Striving to increase resources to allow individuals in care to remain in the community

Sooke Hospice is a member of the
BC Hospice Association.

 

History of
Sooke Hospice

In 1986, Dr. Ellen Wrathell, along with a home care nurse and a volunteer trained by the Victoria Hospice, set up a community-based palliative care program. With another volunteer who was a businessman, they developed a program to provide exemplary care in this rural community.

Clients are nursed and cared for at home throughout their terminal illness. Volunteers are trained to be a part of the unique plan created for each client's care and to support them in their choice to die at home in a familiar and comfortable setting.

The program proved to be very successful and has been used as a role model in other communities. As presented at the Canadian Palliative Care Conference, the fact that it is such a versatile program that can be operated without the expense of a facility is what allows it to be applied to many different communities.

 

Our
Organization

Recently, several changes have taken place in the organization of the program. In December of 2005, after being under the auspices of the Victoria Hospice since the start of the program, it was necessary to become a society of our own due to changes in our funding. A year after that, Dr. Ellen Wrathell retired, having been the medical director since the inception of the program. The current medical director is. Dr. Tracy Forsberg.

The society consists of two separate organizational bodies, each with a specific function. They are:

• A governance board that ensures the society is responsible to its mandates, formed after the hospice became its own society. It consists of directors at large, chairperson, vice-chair (as needed), secretary and treasurer. The governance board also wears the 'hat' of being part of the Focus team which includes the coordinator of volunteers and assistant to the coordinator of volunteers.
• A care team that looks after all of the medical needs of the clients. This includes the medical director, doctors, nurses, home care workers, a pharmacist, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a social worker, a coordinator of volunteers, and assistant to coordinator of volunteers.

 

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