“Hello, Janice? Jan here. I’m just calling to follow up on our emails. Do you have a minute?” That was the start of a conversation that resulted in a beneficial new collaboration between HHNL and the Lanark County Paramedic Service (LCPS). “Jan” is Jan Watson. Chair of the Board of HHNL and “Janice” is Janice Steele, Acting Commander of the Community Paramedicine Program at LCPS.

Home Hospice North Lanark provides in-home hospice support for clients whose wish is to die at home wherever home may be — their home, a long-term care home, an apartment building, a son or daughter’s home — wherever the client wants to be when they need to receive palliative care.

We offer visiting volunteer support, grief and bereavement support, art and music therapy. Our visiting volunteers also write “caring cards” for folks at the Almonte Country Haven and Fairview Manor. Our Coordinator of Visiting Volunteers oversees these programs. A large component of what HHNL does is to assist clients with accessing supports within the community.

Home Hospice North Lanark is very happy to announce that we now have a collaboration agreement with the Lanark County Paramedic Service who can provide a range of services to clients in their homes through the Community Paramedicine Program. This new service is another important support that HHNL can offer to our clients. Our Coordinator will assist our clients with the referral to the Community Paramedicine Program.

The Lanark County Community Paramedicine Program offers in-home: Wellness checks, Vitals/ECG, Needs/Risk assessments, Mental health assessments, Covid testing and vaccine, Medication compliance, Health education, Urine Dips, Blood Analysis, and the Influenza vaccine.

“The service will greatly cut down on trips to the ER for our clients,” said Sidney Thomson, HHNL’s Coordinator of Visiting Volunteers, “and will allow clients to remain at home for as long as is possible, which is the ultimate goal.”

“We are excited to be working with the Home Hospice North Lanark team to provide this service,” added LCPS Acting Commander Janice Steele. “Our local paramedics answer the call with dedication, professionalism, and commitment. Earlier this year, the Ontario government provided funding to expand LCPS’s Community Paramedicine Program, building on a successful pilot program.”

This service is vital to helping clients remain safe and at home.

HHNL is very happy to be able to work with the Lanark County Paramedic Service to bring this support to our clients in North Lanark.

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