Circle of Life Guest House is addressing a critical need for more end-of-life support in the region. The residence will be the first and only one of freestanding social model hospice houses in Nevada. The experience is different for hospice patients in an independent home-like facility than a nursing home or hospital or certainly on the street for the homeless.

Circle of Life Hospice was established 25 years ago by Debra and Mike Girard and I was fortunate to be able to sit on their board at the beginning of the hospice service. Now, decades later under new ownership, I am fortunate to be able to sit on the Circle of Life Hospice Foundation Board and be able to donate to them the house and property to establish the first Guest House for those that are dying in Nevada.

The Circle of Life Guest House is solely dedicated to compassionate end-of-life care in a home setting for individuals who cannot remain in their own homes. Though most people would prefer to stay in their own homes, many are unable due to a lack of adequate 24-hour caregiver support, challenges of symptom management, and limitations of their own home environment. The Circle of Life Guest House provides an alternative residence, which avoids unnecessary hospitalizations and admissions into nursing homes or other care facilities. A social model home for the dying is currently a setting not available for hospice care persons in Nevada; however, the number of these homes across the country is growing as we grapple with how best to provide care for our dying community members.

The Circle of Life Guest House which is opening this month will be the premier community-based provider of quality hospice services and programs in Northern Nevada. The Circle of Life Guest House will provide a home-like setting dedicated exclusively to the needs of the person who is dying with continuous care and support, avoiding institutional settings that focus on clinical intervention and rehabilitation rather than promoting reverence for the natural process of dying. The focus is on improving the guest’s quality of life, allowing them and their loved ones to make the best of the time they have left together. Circle of Life Guest House honors the uniqueness of all persons whom they serve. Their goal is to continually educate the community about end-of-life care. They serve all persons free regardless of faith, honoring fully the history and spiritual preferences of each. 

Generally, hospice care is based on pain management rather than curative treatment. A core concept of hospice is to provide the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social support often needed on a daily basis. What the Circle of Life Guest House does is provide a community-based social model for end-of-life care that is provided in a “home-away-from-home” environment for individuals (guests) who are unable to die in their own homes. Resident care is provided by a combination of family members, volunteers, and paid caregivers in collaboration with the many medical hospice providers in the Reno area. The Circle of Life Guest House will provide a home-like environment with a variety of holistic support and activities that embrace and affirm both the dying residents and their families. An alternative to the typically larger and less personal institutional settings of nursing homes and hospitals, the Circle of Life Guest House specializes in the ability to provide a very high level of care in a smaller, more personalized non-clinical environment. Working with their hospice provider, the Circle of Life Guest House provides a home with around-the-clock compassionate care and presence.

People who work in hospice, especially the Circle of Life Hospice, just have wonderful stories that drove them to be involved in hospice and they are very compassionate, special people, including nurses, nursing assistants, and caregiving staff. In addition, the clinical and administrative staff will be augmented by trained volunteers who will carry out a number of activities, including visiting patients and providing support to family members.

The mission of Circle of Life Guest House is to also help end the tragedy of vulnerable people dying on the streets of our community by providing end-of-life care to those experiencing homelessness. Prior to the Circle of Life Guest House, there was no adequate solution for the housing of terminally ill homeless people, resulting in many deaths on the streets. The need for this service is critical. The Circle of Life Guest House adheres to the philosophy of providing care for the terminally ill and treating the whole person by providing support for his or her emotional, social, and spiritual needs, not simply the medical symptoms.

The Circle of Life Guest House is non-denominational, inclusive, and open to all individuals and their choice of hospice provider. Hospice providers, doctors, clergy, and hospitals will gain a valuable new option to offer dying people and their families. Successful end-of-life guest homes like the Circle of Life do not receive Medicare, Medicaid, or other dedicated state/federal dollars. Rather, the Circle of Life Guest House relies on a combination of funding sources: foundations, corporate giving, in-kind gifts, memorials, planned gifts, fundraising, events, and volunteer support. The Circle of Life believes that experiencing a good death is best accomplished not in any institution, but in the home or a home-like setting with the kindness of many. A key strength of the Circle of Life Guest House is built around the active volunteerism and support from our community. Our community needs this resource! What better way to “add life to years”, than to create a guest house for dying persons?

I would like to thank Chaz Blackburn, Spiritual Care and Director of Volunteer Services, Circle of Life Community Hospice, and Vice President of the Board, Circle of Life Hospice Foundation for providing a significant contribution to the writing of this article. 

Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D. is CEO of the Center for Healthy Aging. Dr. Weiss welcomes your comments on this column. Write to him at [email protected] or c/o Center for Healthy Aging, 11 Fillmore Way, Reno, NV 89519.