Friends of Hospice Ottawa

Friends of Hospice Ottawa values "life and living"

Our programs and services are based on these seven values:

The intrinsic value of each person as an autonomous and unique individual.
The value of life, the natural process of death, and the fact that both provide opportunities for personal growth and self-actualization.
The need to address clients’ and families’ suffering, expectations, needs, hopes, and fears.
Care is only provided when the client and/or family is prepared to accept it.
Care is guided by quality of life as defined by the individual.
Friends of Hospice Ottawa caregivers (staff and volunteers) enter into therapeutic relationship with clients and families based on dignity and integrity.
A unified response to suffering strengthens communities (Based on the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association Norms of Practice).

Our ethical operating principles based on these values incorporate:

Honour the intrinsic worth and uniqueness of each person; respect self determination, diversity, and privacy and promote ethical interactions.

Promote sensitivity to and knowledge about cultural, linguistic, religious, sexual orientation and ethnic diversity.
Respect privacy and maintain confidentiality.
Advocate for respectful treatment of all persons including safety, competence, individual rights, fairness, access to care.

Express compassion in action by creating and nurturing a foundation and framework of sensitivity and fairness to all.

Build caring and compassionate relationships with a commitment to fair treatment of individuals, integrity-preserving compromise, and to resolution of conflict.

Empower people to feel confident with day to day decisions and life choices by treating every individual with courtesy, integrity and respect.

Partner with clients in decisions about their care and service.
Acknowledge the capabilities and resourcefulness of clients and their families, employees, volunteers and community partners.
Advocate for change on behalf of individuals and local communities on health and social justice issues.

Strive to achieve equity for those we serve, our partners, and each other.

Create trust.
Collaborate with communities, government, professional organizations and each other to promote our shared goal of meeting the hospice palliative and end of life care needs of all individuals and families.

Hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of stewardship, transparency and governance in all aspects of our work.

Adhere to the Hospice Association of Ontario Standards and strive for Accreditation certification.
Encourage others to challenge us in the way we work to achieve/promote safe, quality, ethical practice.
Support those who, in good faith, speak out against incompetent, unsafe or unethical practices.

Lead collaboratively and effectively to achieve the highest standards of care, performance, competency and ethical conduct.

Bring key stakeholders into the decision-making process.
Accept and/or challenge changes in the internal and external health care environment with innovation and resolve.
Be leaders in developing health and social policy.
Participate in identifying and responding to personal learning needs and the learning needs of the people and communities we serve.