FAQ’s

Hospice support refers to non-medical, compassionate assistance for individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families, focusing on emotional, practical, social, and spiritual comfort. For Hospice Orillia, this means volunteer-led services delivered in homes or community settings, complementing professional medical care without providing nursing.

Hospice Orillia offers practical, emotional, and spiritual support to those in our community coping with advanced illness, death, and bereavement. Our volunteers and staff serve clients and loved ones of all ages and backgrounds with compassion and respect, honouring their choices in a confidential atmosphere. We view death as a natural rite of passage, helping families face it with dignity. Services are free for anyone with a life-limiting illness, their friends, family, or caregivers, wherever “home” is.

Hospice Orillia was incorporated in 1989 and later amalgamated with the North Simcoe Muskoka Palliative Care Network, forming The North Simcoe Muskoka Hospice Palliative Care Network. To read more about our history please visit https://hospiceorillia.ca/about-us/

Hospice Orillia is a community hospice. We provide palliative support to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families in non-institutional settings like homes, retirement centers, or long-term care facilities. Our interdisciplinary team—including social workers and trained volunteers—emphasizes comfort, symptom management, and holistic care (physical, emotional, spiritual).

No, Hospice Orillia is a community hospice that provides compassionate supports and services where clients feel most at home—whether in their private residence, long-term care facility, retirement home, or our comfortable office spaces. We meet you where you are, offering emotional, practical, and spiritual care tailored to your needs.

Yes, Hospice Orillia offers education presentations and workshops to community groups on topics like hospice palliative care, advance care planning, and bereavement. These sessions are tailored to your group’s needs and can be arranged by contacting us at (705) 325-0505 or by completing the online inquiry form at https://hospiceorillia.ca/community/

Hospice Orillia serves Orillia and surrounding areas across an 800 km² region, including Coldwater, Brechin, Gamebridge, Lagoon City, Bayshore Village, Chippewas of Rama First Nation, Moonstone, Horseshoe Valley, Washago, Severn Bridge, and Cumberland Beach.

No, our services are free, thanks to generous donors.

Hospice Orillia is funded through a combination of partial government funding, generous community donations, grants, and fundraising events like Hike for Hospice. This blended model allows us to provide all our services free of charge to those facing life-limiting illness, caregiving, and bereavement.

Ways to Support Us

• Make a one-time or monthly donation at hospiceorillia.ca/donate.
• List Hospice Orillia as your charity of choice for workplace giving, wills, or memorials.
• Participate in or sponsor our events—your gift directly supports local families.
• Become a volunteer! A donation of your time is one of the best donations you can provide.

Contact us at (705) 325-0505 ext. 207 to explore giving opportunities.

Anyone with a life-limiting illness, their caregivers, or those grieving the loss of a loved one who lives within our catchment area can access our services.

No, you do not need prior access to hospice services to receive bereavement support from Hospice Orillia. We support any death related loss regardless of where or how it occurred—such as in a residential hospice, home, hospital, accidents, suicide, illness, or perinatal/infant loss—and offering specialized groups for needs like perinatal or overdose-related grief.

Anyone can refer themselves or others by using our online referral forms or calling (705) 325-0505. Referrals come from individuals with a life-limiting illness, those grieving a loss, family/friends/caregivers, or care team members (e.g., nurses, doctors). If referring for someone else, provide basic details with their consent.

No, pain management and nursing duties are handled by your primary health care provider. We do provide Complementary Therapies which can support the pain management plan put in place by your primary health care provider.

Hospice Orillia offers services for those with life-limiting illnesses, caregivers, and the bereaved.

Life-Limiting Illness/Caregivers:

• Caregiver Support
• Complementary Therapies
• Footprints Legacy Project
• Volunteer Visitor Services
• Supportive Counselling

Bereaved:

• 1:1 Bereavement Support
• Adult Aged Child Loss Support Group
• Coffee and Care Grief Support Group
• COPE Facility Dog Trooper
• Equine Grief Support Group (youth & adult)
• Navigating the Wilderness of Grief 8-Week Program
• Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support
• Supportive Counselling

Bereavement Support Services are available to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one and is seeking emotional support as they navigate their grief.  Services available include:

• Adult Aged Child Loss Support Group
• Anticipatory Grief Support
• Bereavement Support Group
• Coffee and Care
• Community Lending Library
• Equine Therapy Bereavement Support Group
• Grief Support Walking Group
• Memorial Events
• One-on-One Support
• Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support
• Support Group for Overdose Related Losses

These services provide a safe and understanding space to talk, connect, and find comfort—whether the loss occurred recently or some time ago.

Visiting Hospice Services are designed for individuals living with a life-limiting illness who wish to remain at home, wherever home may be, while receiving compassionate support from one of the following services:

• Caregiver Support
• Complementary Therapies
• Footprints Legacy Project
• Supportive Counselling
• Visiting Volunteer Services

Volunteers offer comfort, companionship, and practical assistance to both clients and their families, helping enhance quality of life during end-of-life care.

• Caregiver Support
• Complementary Therapies
• Supportive Counselling
• Volunteer Visitor Services for respite

No worries—we’re here to help. Call (705) 325-0505 or fill out the inquiry form at https://hospiceorillia.ca/how-to-access-our-programs/, and we will walk you through the process to find the best-suited program for you.

Direct Service

• Bereavement Support (Groups, 1:1, etc.)
• Caregiver Support
• Complementary Therapies
• Home Visiting
• Legacy Work (Footprints Life Story, Scrapbooking, Card & Letter Writing, etc.)
• Spiritual Care

Organizational Support

• Administrative Support
• Ambassadors
• Board of Directors
• Fundraising and Events

To join our volunteer team, start by completing the online Expression of Interest form at https://hospiceorillia.ca/volunteer. You’ll then attend a one-hour Zoom information session (dates listed on the site), submit a formal application with references, complete screening (including a police check), and participate in training. Expect a 1-year commitment and 1-3 hours weekly—contact Ashley at (705) 325-0505 ext. 202 or ashley@hospiceorillia.ca for details.