My friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer. For the first two years after her diagnosis she lived alone and went through her treatments until she decided they were too hard to endure. She chose no more treatments and lived quite well until the cancer progressed. She was placed in Hospice and because the location is so convenient, I was able to see her every day.
The staff were incredibly kind, caring and attentive. She called them angels. Since she had no family in town, they became her family, and Hospice House became her home. She was able to maintain her dignity and spent the last few weeks of her life in a beautiful setting with wonderful care. She always told me that she felt blessed to be there and it was the best place she could have ever been. I could come and go anytime day or night if she needed me. It started feeling like home to me too. She died peacefully in her sleep and the staff was kind enough to keep her in her room until we could go and say our goodbyes. They never rushed us. You could see that they were affected by each patient's death almost as much as the families were, even though it was an everyday occurrence of the job.

My father came in and was so reluctant, but when he finally resigned and was admitted, his first and final words were, "I wish I came weeks sooner! this is lovely" He was a proud man that loved his home and this was the next best thing. Thank you! 1 year today.