Anam Cara House is all about helping people live as many of their last days at home as possible.
“Most people like to stay at home if they can. We offer assistance in home set-up and capacity building to enable the choice of home as a very real option,” explains health operations manager Kerry Dmytrenko.
Specialised equipment is available in an “on loan, free of charge” arrangement, including hospital beds, mattresses and recliners.
Anam Cara provides a day-stay hospice on Tuesdays and Thursday so carers can “totally relax and recharge their batteries“, Kerry says.
The hospice has four dedicated beds for out-of-home palliative respite, staffed by registered nurses and trained volunteers.
“When people need a break we’re here,” Kerry says.
“My background is nursing and sometimes it’s really hard to look after a person for eight hours a day – let alone 24.”
Anam Cara offers a “home-like“ alternative to other medical and palliative care facilities, Kerry says.
“We call them guests, not patients. We have a philosophy of care to be provided at the highest level of what we would expect for ourselves or our own loved ones.“
The hospice also provides low-cost accommodation upstairs for family of people travelling to Geelong for treatment or for families with loved ones in hospital.
