A $9-million expansion at Foothills Country Hospice is almost complete, and when it opens in September, the facility just north of Okotoks will see its bed count double.
Some might not want to think about a place where you’re living out your final days, but make no mistake, we’re fortunate to have such a space in the Foothills.
We were fortunate when, 30 years ago, a group of community-minded people saw the need for a hospice and took the first steps on a long and arduous road. We were fortunate 17 years ago when the hospice they envisioned opened to accept its first patient, and we’re fortunate today that a 12,000-square-foot expansion that’s been two years in the making will soon increase the number of beds to 16.
Foothills Country Hospice is a place like no other. Situated in a peaceful and picturesque setting with views of the Rocky Mountains, it’s staffed by angels who ensure those final days are filled with compassion, caring and dignity.
We must also be grateful to all those who have been involved in the capital campaign because something of this magnitude doesn’t happen without a whole bunch of people devoting a massive amount of time and money to the undertaking. Getting to the finish line is truly a community-wide effort.
Hospice care, at its core, is heartbreaking because of the inevitability of where that road takes the patient, but talk to family members of anyone who has been cared for at Foothills Country Hospice and they’ll tell you it was as compassionate an experience as possible.
No one wants to end up in hospice care, but should that need arise, rest assured we’ve got one of the best facilities imaginable in our backyard.
And now it can serve twice as many patients.
