MUSKOKA, ON-Money from the District of Muskoka will help finish construction of Andy’s House.
On December 12th, Steven Clement, the Chair of Health Services for the District of Muskoka, District Chair John Klinck, Chair of Hospice Muskoka Mary Grady and several others visited the residence so that a cheque of $214,151.98 could be given to Hospice Muskoka in support of the new home.
Grady said that she was thrilled by the donation and how far the construction has come since they started in June 2018. “We wanted to construct a place that felt like a home and not a cold hospital, because no one wants to finish their life in a hospital,” said Grady.
She went on to say that when the building is finished, it will have a vast array of amenities such as a full dinning room, various types of therapy, a library, spiritual room, children’s play centre and full time volunteers and staff.
“There is such a thing as a good death,” said Grady.
Klinck said that the construction of the home is a reflection of the passion the community has for one another and even though there is a “shortage of places like this, we are happy to have one in Muskoka.”
During the presentation, Clement said that he has pleased to have this service here in Muskoka and that this is something that the community has needed for a long time. “As one of the key focuses of council, I am happy to see this building take shape because this is not a service we consider until we need it,” said Clement.
Among those at the presentation was also Sergeant Matt Hanes with the Bracebridge OPP. Hanes is the reason why the residence is called Andy’s House as it is named after Hanes late partner, Officer Andy Potts, who died in a collision in 2005. After his death, Hanes approach Potts’ parents with the idea of committing to a hospice to honour Potts memory.
“We wanted to honour his legacy by providing services to those who need it,” said Haynes.
There is no set date for when the home will open its doors, but they anticipate sometime in 2020 or 2021.