Celebrate a Life 2021 - Nanaimo Community Hospice Society

Nanaimo Hospice is…
A place, a community and a philosophy. Dying, caregiving and grieving are three of life’s greatest challenges. Nanaimo Hospice believes that everyone struggling with these challenges – regardless of age, means or culture – deserves support. With compassion and dignity, our volunteers and professional staff offer free programs, resources, and education to our community where and when needed.

Nanaimo Hospice began in 1979, when Olivia Thomasson developed an interest in starting a hospice service in Nanaimo following her husband’s death from cancer. She was soon joined by Lynn Green, an RN, who worked with the dying and also saw a strong need for hospice services. Their goal was to promote a model of care that emphasized emotional/social caring for patients and families. Their dream was to build a hospice facility, with beds, where staff could promote and facilitate quality of life, family were welcome, and the patient could live out their last weeks or months in dignity or peace, surrounded by people who cared for them.