Looking for Forever Homes

If all goes according to plan, Dundas County Hospice will be re-locating to a new space that will be a lot more like a home.

Dundas County Hospice, which offers a variety of services to anyone suffering from a terminal or life-threatening illness, has long been a tenant at the J.W. MacIntosh Seniors Support Centre in Williamsburg. 

Hospice is a separate entity from the support centre, and has outgrown the office space and common space that it has been renting at the centre.

In order to accommodate the growing need, Hospice has been looking for some time at options to re-locate, and has, conditionally, found a new home.

April 7, South Dundas council approved a zoning amendment that will permit the hospice to operate from a residential dwelling at 4353 County Road 31, in Williamsburg.

Once the zoning change is finalized, the property which includes a house and garage will become the new home for Dundas County Hospice.

Lisa Casselman, executive director of Dundas County Hospice, explained that this new location will suit Hospice and its programs very well. The garage will provide ample space to store the medical equipment that they have for their loan service on site. “Right now, we have two locations that we use for equipment storage, this will allow us to get everything here under one roof,” she explained.

Inside the dwelling, there will be office space and a place for hospice programming. 

Temporarily, Hospice has been hosting many programs at the Williamsburg Christian Reformed Church.

Casselman is pleased that they have been able to find a space in Williamsburg. She explained that Williamsburg is very central to the area served by Dundas County Hospice.

With minimal renovations, Dundas County Hospice should be in its new location this summer (July).

While Dundas County Hospice does periodically hold volunteer training courses, much of what they do on a daily basis involves brining clients to the hospice location to participate in its day programs. “We provide the transportation, bring our clients here so they can enjoy a chat, a coffee and a muffin, participate in an organized activity, which could be a legacy project, or just a game of cards, and provide them with a hot meal before we take them home,” explains Casselman. They have volunteers and an RN on site to ensure they are well looked after while enjoying the day. “What this does is gives the caregivers for these clients a 5-6 hour break,” said Casselman. 

She looks forward to Dundas County Hospice moving into a home of its own, adding that this home-style setting will be ideal for the hospice’s caregiver support group as well. 

All Dundas County Hospice services are free.

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On Friday, November 2, Ken Hasson, left, and Jamie Thompson, right, owners of Thompson Tim-Br Mart in Iroquois, recognized 20-year employee Mike Deschamps. “We want to thank you for your many years of service,” said Jamie Thompson who made the presentation in the store with Deschamps’ fellow workers and several customers in attendance. “We really appreciate it.”  Deschamps started working in the yard at Tim-Br Mart 20 years ago, and worked his way up to deliveries. He is now the operator of the company’s 20-ton Crane delivery truck. “I enjoy being on the truck,” said Deschamps. “It’s nice to be out and about. You meet some nice people.” “Thompson Tim-Br Mart prides itself on loyal, long-term employees,” said Hasson. “Mike is our fourth  member to reach the 20 year service level. Our customers and our contractors are always glad to see Mike.” 

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