Always there for our patients at every stage of life

In 2023, a gentleman with metastatic lung cancer was referred to our Barbara McInnis House 24/7 respite facility. The respite team anticipated providing a few months of palliative care, but as sometimes happens with end-of-life patients, he passed away very quickly, within a week of being admitted. Staff cared for him around the clock, keeping him safe and comfortable in a warm bed until he quietly exhaled his last breath, with the dignity that everyone deserves. 

BHCHP is honored to provide palliative and end-of-life care to patients who lack the safe, stable housing and the support network they need at this difficult time. Our providers deliver this care and comfort at the end of life, to folks who have spent so much of their lives just trying to survive. For many patients, our staff members are the closest thing they have to family.

Our respite staff work tirelessly to keep our patients as comfortable as possible. Our dining service prepares patients’ favorite meals, our trained staff provide a constant presence and comfort measures, and family members are able to reunite and spend as much time as they need with their loved one.

Sonya, a patient in her early 40s suffering from painful cancer of both eyes, spent most of her final months with us in respite. Sadly, both of her eyes were removed, leaving her blind and disfigured. Unfortunately, cancer is stigmatized in some cultures, and her community abandoned her. Our palliative care staff at Barbara McInnis House provided compassionate care to Sonya after each of her procedures. They brought in her favorite homemade foods, set up prayer sessions with ministers over Zoom, and did everything possible to support her and keep her comfortable. “Sonya would say to me, ‘Georgia, I’m going to get better and fix my eyes and have my kids come visit me,’” recounted Georgia Thomas-Diaz, Director of Respite Behavioral Health. “She never recovered. I tried hard to reunite her with her children, but it didn’t happen. Every Sunday, I would cook her a special soup that she liked and bring it to her. When I first met her, she was such a beautiful, joyful woman. And she remained like that even with all her troubles and disfigurements. It was hard when I learned that she had passed.”

End of life care can be difficult and emotionally draining for our staff. Yet our staff are honored to accompany patients on their final journey, caring for them as expertly and tenderly as we did throughout their lives.

Arisa Yamamoto, NP, shared this experience with her patient, Aaron, who had advanced pancreatic cancer. An electrician by training, Aaron would offer to repair any mechanical issues we had in respite. Says Arisa, “Respite became his family, and he loved socializing with the other patients as long as he could. Palliative care is very important, especially with our patients who have had so much trauma in their lives. We try hard to make them feel safe and as comfortable as possible in the last days. Our nursing staff do an excellent job looking out for the patients and for each other. Just because someone is poor, doesn’t mean they can’t have a well-cared for passing.”

Palliative care is one of the many important health care services we provide to meet the needs of our patients experiencing homelessness. And much like many aspects of our care, it wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of donors like you. In providing life-changing medical and behavioral health care, including end-of-life care, each year, BHCHP ensures that over 10,000 individuals and families have access to the spectrum of health care services they need. With your help, we are able to meet the health needs of our unhoused neighbors across Greater Boston.