Finally, hospice has a home

Our Opinion

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

No matter what the weather may bring, tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day in Calvert County.

After seven years of planning, fund raising and finally building, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Burnett-Calvert Hospice House will finally happen at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Nov. 21.

Even without a house, Calvert Hospice has been going strong for years in Calvert County.

Patients and their loved ones have been able to know that their needs will be attended; that caring, trained professionals are available to help with end-of-life care, regardless of whether the patient can afford the service.

The point of a hospice house is to have a place for patients with terminal illnesses to go when being cared for at home is not an option.

The hospice approach includes making patients as comfortable as possible through the last days of their lives, and often that means being at home, but home care is not always possible.

Construction on the building started in 2005, and this year has been especially eventful with tours of the building as it came together and events to celebrate its impending opening.

The entire project has been done through both in-kind and financial donations. Labor and materials have been donated or discounted. There is still a long wish list on the hospice Web site, www.calverthospice.org, that includes furniture like chairs, desks and tables.

All of this has been in preparation for tomorrow: the day that the house is open and, for the most part, ready to operate.

Last week, hospice's executive director, Lynne Bonde, told our reporter, Jeff Newman, how thrilled she was at the prospect of opening the doors on Saturday.

"I've had this vision in my heart for seven years, and to see it physically there and in a beautiful setting, oh my God, it's beyond words how grateful and blessed I and hospice feel," she said.

The point of hospice is to provide dignity and comfort in the last days of a person's life. This is an organization that deserves the community's support, and we're proud that Calvert County has helped it along.

The grand opening is tomorrow at the new building, 4559 Sixes Road in Prince Frederick.