Our History
On the evening of Christmas Day 1985, Thea Juett, a Burnaby social worker, was at home enjoying the holidays with her family when she was called out to investigate a reported death at home. When she got there, she discovered the body of an elderly gentleman who had died isolated and alone – without the support of family or friends. Thea was very upset by what she saw and the wide gap between the needs of people requiring palliative care and the services available in the community.
With a belief that people coping with terminal illnesses deserved more support, a concerned group of citizens, led by Thea, established the Burnaby Hospice Society on October 22, 1986.
With one part-time staff member and a small group of volunteers, the concept of volunteer hospice care soon took hold. Health care and community leaders realized the value Burnaby Hospice Society programs could provide in supporting people living with a life threatening illness and their families.
In 1992, Burnaby Community Health provided the first formal office space and we joined the Burnaby Palliative Care Partnership Program. Then, with continued growth, our trained volunteers began providing support to clients in Burnaby Hospital which later extended to St. Michael’s Hospice Centre, care facilities and private homes.
By 2000, our services were extended to provide clinical counselling and grief support to individuals and families. In 2006 we opened our thrift store, which has become our single largest source of funding and a key component of our plans for financial self sustainability.
Today, we have over 180 volunteers who together contribute over 25,000 hours annually, which allows us to serve over 800 families in the Burnaby communitythrough our hospice palliative care and bereavement programs and services.
We have grown significantly over the past 25 years thanks to the dedication and commitment from volunteers, supporters and community leaders. With their support, we are moving forward to enhance our programs, which will have a positive impact on end-of-life care in our community.