Friends of Hyder Family Hospice ready to help

June 18--DOVER -- Legend has it a guest at the Hyder Family Hospice House had a request to see the ocean one last time. The staff pooled their money and rented an ambulance to fulfill the guest's wish.

It is requests like these that Elaine Case hopes the Friends of the Hyder Family Hospice House can help fulfill when the Strafford County hospice reopens on July 1.

Friends of Hyder is a non-profit organization Case help co-found and currently chairs the board of directors. Their goal is to assist with various needs that may arise that can't be fulfilled by Hyder House.

Case isn't sure what supporting role they will play other than to be a resource to help guests and their families at Hyder House. Case said it could be helping people take one last trip, or helping pay for a guest whose insurance runs out leaving them unable to pay, or it could purchasing a plane ticket for a loved one who can't afford the flight home and to say goodbye.

"We don't know yet," she said. "We know we will help the guest with whatever they need."

Case said the people under hospice care at Hyder House are not considered patients, "but guests of the house."

Case's mother was one guest when Hyder House was open. After helping care for her mother for 10 years, Case brought her mother to Hyder House for her last three days of her life. It was a relief not to have to worry about her mother's care.

"I could just be her daughter, and the medical people could take care of her medical needs," she said.

Case found many in the community with similar stories when she started Friends of the Hyder House last year when the previous operator, Amedisys Home Health Services, announced they had financial issues. While they were unable to keep the doors from closing, Case said the support from the community "really did prove this place is absolutely necessary," she said.

Friends of Hyder House continued to work with the county when the Strafford County Commissioners added funding to the budget earlier this year to reopen and operate the hospice. It will be one of three inpatient hospices in the state.

This Saturday, the county will host a public open house at Hyder House from 1 to 4 p.m., introducing the community to the staff and giving tours of the 14-bed facility. At about 2:15 p.m., Case will give a presentation of what the Friend of Hyder House aims to be.

People can visit www.friendsofhyderfamilyhospicehouse.org for more information about the organization and to make a donation.

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