Editor:
Thank you very much for last week’s editorial, “Our seniors can’t wait forever.” In it you expressed the frustration felt by many with the inaction by VCH and our current government in providing the residential care our community urgently needs and described the way this project has been handled as a farce.
You may recall that when the Trellis facility was announced June 1, 2016 the proposed project promised to double the number of hospice beds from the two currently at Shorncliffe to four. These beds were to be housed in a dedicated facility adjacent to the new residential care facility. Operations of this hospice facility would be funded by VCH, although construction costs were expected to be raised by the community.
As you point out, two years and four months later, all we have are questions and rumours.
Sadly, the result is not a farce for the dying who are regularly unable to access a hospice bed because our existing beds are constantly occupied. And we assure you it is not a farce for their families and friends who love them dearly and want the best and most appropriate care for them in their final days.
There is a solution. It’s time for action. Death does not wait.
Denis Fafard, President, Donna Shugar, Vice President, S.C. Hospice Society
